A man who was driving a motorcycle along Highway 501 in Conway, South Carolina (SC), on May 13, 2012, lost control of his bike, causing his female passenger to fall off and suffer injuries that later claimed her life. Police charged the curviving motorcyclist with driving under the influence of alcohol and continue to investigate the deadly accident.
View a larger map of where a man accused of driving drunk on motorcycle in Conway, SC, had an accident that caused fatal injuries to his passenger.
Police also said neither the man nor woman were wearing helmets. Media reports do not indicate whether the passenger died from a traumatic brain injury, but as Carolina brain injury attorneys, we know that such an outcome is likely when people lacking head protection are involved in motorcycle crashes.
South Carolina does not require adults older than 20 to wear helmets while riding motorcycles. The state does prohibit drunk driving by bikers, though. In light of these legal realities, the motorcycle driver could find it difficult to avoid all liability if the deceased woman’s family pursued compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit.
EJL