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DI critical after motorcycle crash

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — A drill instructor found in a wooded area hours after his motorcycle crashed Friday remains in critical condition in a Georgia hospital.

Staff Sgt. Shaun Dirkach, 31, with 3rd Recruit Training Battalion at Parris Island, S.C., was airlifted to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, Ga., on Friday. A hospital spokesman on Monday afternoon said Dirkach’s condition was still critical.

Local emergency and law enforcement officials told the Beaufort Gazette that Dirkach ran his motorcycle off the road around 1 a.m. Friday. Emergency crews were called to the scene nearly seven hours later.

The paper reports that firefighters found Dirkach lying facedown, 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 believe 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 the beginning of this fiscal year Oct. 1, eight Marines have died in motorcycle accidents. A Corps-wide message on new motorcycle safety regulations is being drafted.