Middle school youth dies after motorcycle crash

Skyler Alan Chapman

A young teenager has died following a motorcycle crash on a secondary road southwest of Taylorsville.

On Sunday, October 9, at approximately 4:05 p.m., the NC State Highway Patrol responded to and investigated a critical injury collision in Alexander County on Barrett Mountain Road. A dirt bike motorcycle was traveling south on Barrett Mountain Road, drove left of center, and collided head-on with a northbound 2016 Ford F350 pickup truck, said Master Trooper Jeffrey S. Swagger of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

The driver of the dirt bike, Skyler Alan Chapman, 13, of Taylorsville, was critically injured. He was treated by EMS and transported by medical helicopter to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem. He succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning.

The driver of the truck was Jamie Wooten, 30, of Lawndale. She was not injured, Swagger stated.

Millersville Christian Academy leaders posted the following on the school’s Facebook page on Monday, October 10: “We are saddened to share that one of our own, Skyler Chapman, passed away this morning after a tragic accident yesterday. Our hearts are heavy. But we are clinging to the truth that our God walks with us, in the valley.”