Motorcyclist dies after hitting deer near Pickens

A Pickens man died Thursday evening after his motorcycle hit a deer, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Hayne Christopher Sheppard II, of Edens Road, died as the result of blunt-force trauma to his head, Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley said Friday morning.

The man was traveling west on Fox Squirrel Ridge Road around 6:40 p.m. when he hit the deer, highway patrol Lance Cpl. Bill Rhyne said. The accident happened about 2.5 miles north of Pickens, Rhyne said.

Rhyne said the motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet, was thrown from his red 2005 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and died at the scene of the crash, Rhyne said.