Motorcycle Rider Killed In Crash On Highway 23 In Burke County: Identity Released

A tragic accident in Burke County early this morning claimed one life and shut down a portion of Highway 23 between Jack Delaigle Road and Hancock Landing Road.

Colonel J.W. Wylds said a motorcycle was headed west on Highway 23 around 6:20 am when 59-year-old Barton Andrew Weitzel of Waynesboro was hit by a large deer entering the roadway from the south shoulder.

The impact caused Weitzel to lose control of the motorcycle and fall into the westbound lane. The vehicle continued off the north shoulder of the road and Weitzel was then hit by a pickup truck, also heading west.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Burke County Sheriff's Office is investigating the accident.