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Condition of DI in motorcycle crash upgraded

A drill instructor hospitalized since March 14 after a motorcycle crash in South Carolina has been upgraded to fair condition and is conscious, a hospital spokesman said Thursday afternoon.

Staff Sgt. Shaun Dirkach, 31, with 3rd Recruit Training Battalion at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., was airlifted to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, Ga., after crashing his motorcycle around 1 a.m. in a wooded area. He had been listed in critical condition earlier this week.

Local emergency and law-enforcement officials told the Beaufort Gazette that emergency crews were called to the scene nearly seven hours after the crash and found Dirkach lying face-down and unconscious about 20 feet from the motorcycle.

The Marine was not wearing a helmet when he was found, and first responders to the scene told the Gazette they do not think he was wearing one at the time of the accident.

South Carolina does not have a helmet law, but Marines are required to wear a helmet, as well as other safety gear, while riding a motorcycle.

Since Oct. 1, eight Marines have died in motorcycle accidents. A Corps-wide message on new motorcycle safety regulations is being drafted.