A South Carolina motorcycle rider died in a head-on crash March 12 in Anson County, according to state troopers.
Devonte Lamont Duncan, of Wadesboro, was driving a Ford when he tried to pass a tractor in a no-passing zone on Cason Oldfield Road near Wadesboro around 11:30 a.m, according to a North Carolina Highway Patrol crash report. Duncan was driving about 35 mph in a 55 mph zone, the report states.
At the same time, John Ellis Bittle Jr., of Chesterfield, South Carolina, was coming from the opposite direction, moving from the left lane back into the right lane.
Bittle was speeding at the time and jumped off of his motorcycle into the left lane when he saw Duncan, according to the report. He was driving at about 100 mph.
Duncan’s Ford hit the motorcycle before running into a ditch on the westbound shoulder. Bittle rolled 116 feet into the eastbound ditch, the report states.
Both drivers were taken to Carolinas HealthCare System- Anson. Bittle was then airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, where he died from his injuries on March 13. Duncan was treated for minor injuries, according to Janet Ross, district secretary for the Highway Patrol.
Ross said Bittle would have faced charges if he had survived. Duncan was charged with improper passing.
Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough.