‘Devastating': Grand Strand businesses, residents react to deadly motorcycle crashes over Spring Bike Week
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — After thousands of bikers from across the country made their way along the Grand Strand for the 86th Annual Spring Bike Week, four people died in three separate motorcycle wrecks during the weekend.
51-year-old Michael Davis died early Friday in a wreck near Todd Boulevard in Conway, 40-year-old Jessica Woodall died early Sunday in a wreck in North Myrtle Beach, and two people died early Monday morning in a wreck in Carolina Forest. Right now, law enforcement has not officially linked these deaths to the bike rally.
SBB Event Director Bill Barber said it's heartbreaking to hear four individuals lost their lives while riding motorcycles. He said, although he may not have known them personally, in the biking community, everyone is family, and losing anyone is devastating news.
'We don't want to lose any of our brothers and sisters. We take our friendships a little more serious, I think, than the average people do, because we put miles in together and we do the same thing,' he said. 'And it seems to be — I don't think the average citizen would really understand how deep our friendships become in the motorcycle world.'
He said at SBB, there is a memorial wall for those who have died from motorcycle fatalities, but also cancer, and old age, who had connections to the popular bike week bar. He said some people have brought others' ashes during bike week to have their presence at the bar and be 'back with family.'
'These people are our family, even though they may seem like customers to the average person. In the biker community, we are a pretty tight group of folks, and we're all brothers and sisters,' Barber said. 'The way we look at it. So it's, it's, it's devastating to us.'
Others living in the Surfside Beach community, who have attended bike weeks in the past, claims the crowds have gotten larger over the years as the city grows. Ray Raab said he is not shocked that four people died over the weekend due to roads being more crowded and people not being as safe.
Being a musician in years prior and playing at bike week events, he said he got to know bikers who passed through. He said everyone was always friendly, and it's a shame four individuals lost their lives this weekend.
'A friend of mine, we went down to Pawleys Island Tavern last night. I've been a professional musician all my life. I don't play now due to injuries, but I went down to see some friends and we both commented, 'We wonder how many of these people are going to make it back alive,'' Raab said. 'There were a lot of people going across the road, and it was a madhouse. I hope and pray that people who are out partying and stuff, do it safely, have a designated driver or something just to make sure they get home safely so they can come back again.'
Brett Briggs rides his motorcycle as his main source of transportation. Although he doesn't identify as a biker in the community, he's still saddened to know four people lost their lives on their bikes.
Briggs said he's been in a few accidents himself, and his helmet saved his life. His mother, who works in an emergency room, has seen several bodies mangled from motorcycle accidents, adding that bike safety is extremely important and should be taken very seriously.
'It's unfortunate. It's indicative of a lack of awareness and the cars and stuff. You know, I've been almost [run] off the road a few times myself. Even been in a few accidents [where] people don't see me, I hit them and they, like, think they can just turn in front of me,' he said. 'Or other things like that. There's not a lot of awareness. People need to be aware of all the vehicles on the road.'
News13 reached out to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, where we are still waiting for the number of motorcycle deaths from previous bike weeks.
News13 also reached out to the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce to see if they could provide a head count of bike week attendees, but it's unable to provide that data.
* * *
Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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