A crash at the top of Harpertown Hill in McCaysville in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 22, resulted in the deaths of two people.
The victims were identified as Christopher Lee Churchill, 32, of Blairsville, and Eiron Taylor Welch, 19, of Blue Ridge.
The Georgia State Patrol (GSP) said Welch died at the scene.
McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley confirmed Churchill was pronounced dead that Wednesday evening at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga.
According to Lt. Stephanie Stallings, public information director for the Georgia Department of Public Safety, the crash occurred at approximately 1 a.m.
Churchill was the driver of a 2020 Yamaha motorcycle with Welch as his passenger.
They were traveling south on Blue Ridge Drive at a high rate of speed when Churchill failed to maintain lane in a curve.
The vehicle overturned onto its right side and slid into the back of a 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier, Stallings said in an email.
The GSP report said Welch was killed on impact and Churchill, thrown from the vehicle, struck the corner of the porch at 1131 Blue Ridge drive.
Earley said the driver of the motorcycle was believed to have been the same suspect “taunting law enforcement for the past couple of weeks.”
That “taunting” including running from officers in McCaysville, Blue Ridge and Union County.
Blue Ridge Police Chief Johnny Scearce confirmed a motorcycle fitting the description of the crashed vehicle, with a female passenger on the back, had fled from his officers about a week earlier.
Blue Ridge officers had been looking for a motorcycle after McCaysville officers had posted a lookout.
Immediately prior to the Wednesday morning crash, Earley said the couple had passed McCaysville Patrolman Peter Kusek in front of the McCaysville Police Department. Earley said Kusek estimated the speed of the motorcycle to be between 70 and 75 miles per hour when it passed him on the double yellow line, traveling into northbound traffic.
At the time, Kusek was heading south on Blue Ridge Drive. He was looking for a motorcycle that had just been reported driving recklessly in the city.
Earley said as soon as the motorcycle passed Kusek, he radioed dispatch to advise other officers the suspects were headed into the county and toward Blue Ridge at a high rate of speed.
Kusek continued south on Blue Ridge Drive, estimating the speed of the motorcycle to have reached 100 mph.
Earley said, “He (Churchill) knew he could get away. He knew we don’t chase motorcycles.”
Near the intersection of Blue Ridge Drive and Hillcrest Drive, Kusek saw a plume of gray and blue smoke, common in vehicle crashes, and came upon a vehicle with its emergency flashers turned on. The driver of that vehicle told Kusek a motorcycle had crashed.
Kusek searched and found Churchill, who was still breathing, Earley said.
A resident of the home where the crash occurred came outside and told Kusek a female was laying near a car parked at the home. Kusek then found Welch.
Soon afterward McCaysville officers Cory Collogan and Brian Collis arrived. Collogan, who is also a paramedic, administered first aid to Churchill until an ambulance arrived.
Earley said as soon as he was notified of the crash, he instructed his officers to notify the Georgia State Patrol to investigate.
Stallings said the patrol’s Specialized Crash Reconstruction Team has been assigned to the investigation, which is ongoing.