One charged in connection to fatal motorcycle wreck in North Myrtle Beach
A North Carolina man faces felony charges for being drunk behind the wheel during a fatal collision with a motorcycle, according to police.
North Myrtle Beach police charged Claybon Lewis Atwater, 35, of Burlington, North Carolina with two counts of DUI causing great bodily injury, child endangerment and driving on a suspended license for DUI.
He was released from J. Reuben Long Detention Center on Monday after posting more than $58,000 in bond.
The wreck happened Saturday on South Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach. The Horry County Coroner identified the victim as 54-year-old Donna Schnell of the Myrtle Beach area. Her spouse was taken to the hospital after the incident.
“She was a wife, a mother, a nurse at a local hospital, and an animal lover,” said Michelle McSpadden, deputy coroner, by email.
Around 4:40 p.m., officers responded to the area of Highway 17 South and 46th Avenue South for a crash involving a motorcycle and a Mercury Sedan.
Witnesses said the Mercury failed to yield the right-of-way and hit the motorcycle, according to a police report. Witnesses also said a man, later identified as Atwater, was driving during the crash, but switched seats with a woman in the car.
The woman told police Atwater was the driver, according to the report. There was also a 12-year-old passenger in Atwater’s car.
When officers spoke to Atwater, they could smell alcohol on him and he contentiously dropped his head as if he was falling asleep, the report states. Atwater told police he drank earlier in the day before going to the beach.
Police arrested Atwater and at the police department he gave a breath test that showed a .11 blood alcohol content — above the .08 legal driving limit.
This story was originally published April 10, 2019 at 10:26 AM.
