Columbus County man killed in motorcycle

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, NC (WWAY)- A Columbus County man lost his life in deadly motorcycle crash on Saturday.

The Columbus County man has been identified as 49-year-old Kenneth Ray Todd of Hallsboro not far from Lake Waccamaw.

Just before 3 p.m., in the Southbound lanes of I-95 Todd crashed into a guardrail in the construction zone after veering off the highway.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the crash happened when Todd reached down to get a bottle of water, as he took a sip he swerved and hit the guardrail.

First responders, including a Harnett County trooper spent about 30 minutes on life saving efforts, but he died on the scene.

Friends also on motorcycles behind him witnessed the crash and told law enforcement they were coming from Rock Mount to Fayetteville.

North Carolina State Trooper Kevin Britt said, distracting driving isn’t worth the risk.

“If you’re driving on a motorcycle you’ve got to keep both hands on the wheel, in this case it was not on the handle bar,” he said “Whether it’s a cell phone, whether it’s a bottle of water in this case, this is the type of thing that can happen when you’re involved in distracting driving”

Britt urges drivers to drive safely when occupying North Carolina roadways and beyond.

“You’re better off to pull over at a safe spot, don’t sacrifice that because that’s the stuff that can happen,”   said Britt.

The crash only involve Todd, however no injuries in the vicinity were reported.