A Burke County highway shut down for nearly two hours on Tuesday after a high-speed chase ended with a motorcyclist crashing into the back of a pickup truck near a dump site and dying from the collision. Deputies had begun pursuing two motorcycles after spotting them traveling at a high rate of speed, and the chase ended when one of the riders struck the truck, according to troopers.
The road closure lasted nearly two hours following the chase, according to WSOC-TV. The outlet reported that the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the motorcyclist struck the back of the pickup truck during the pursuit near the dump site, and that the rider was later declared deceased, according to troopers. The station noted that no additional details were available.
A Pattern of Motorcycle Pursuits in Burke County
This is not the first time a motorcycle pursuit has rattled Burke County. In a separate incident, a man on a motorcycle led Burke County deputies on a chase through Morganton, and with help from the public, he was arrested two days later, as reported by The News Herald. In that case, the same WSOC-TV report noted the pursuit was ultimately called off due to public safety concerns, and the man, identified as Hoewischer, was charged with felony flee to elude and held under a $25,000 bond.
It is not clear from available reporting whether Tuesday's fatal chase shares any connection to those earlier Burke County pursuits. The circumstances separating the cases — including how long Tuesday's chase lasted and whether charges will be filed — have not been detailed publicly.
Pursuit Deaths Have Climbed Statewide
Fatal outcomes tied to law enforcement chases are not unique to Burke County. Per WRAL, North Carolina recorded 24 deaths in police pursuits in 2022, and the outlet reported that half of those killed — 12 people — were described as innocent bystanders. State trooper-led chases also increased more than 130 percent from 2019 to 2022, according to the same report.
One of those 2022 cases illustrates the risk to people with no connection to the pursuit at all. Thaddeus Mickens, 56, was killed as a bystander in a crash on U.S. Highway 301 near I-95 in Kenly while state troopers pursued a woman for speeding, WRAL reported. Tuesday's Burke County crash involved the motorcyclist being chased rather than a bystander, but it adds to a string of pursuit-related incidents across the state that have drawn scrutiny in recent years.
