Wedgefield man dies while riding mo-ped

By BELTON WHITE
Item Staff Writer
bwhite@theitem.com

A 46-year-old man was found dead off Deschamps Road at 12:30 p.m. Sunday after crashing his mo-ped sometime Saturday night.

Curtis Gaboury, of 10 Vidalia Court in Wedgefield, was found in a ditch off the side of the road, which is located between Wedgefield Highway and Patriot Parkway, according to Sumter County Coroner Harvin Bullock.

GABOURY

Bullock said the ditch was 4 or 5 feet deep, and that Gaboury's body was not visible from the street.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Sgt. Kelley Hughes said it appeared as though Gaboury was traveling south on Deschamps Road and for some unknown reason, ran off the left side of the road into a ditch.

Gaboury was not wearing a helmet, and no foul play is suspected in his death.

"We believe that this was one-unit collision," Hughes said. "Just the mo-ped was included."

Gaboury was a native of Michigan and worked for Thames Landscaping in Sumter for more than eight years.

"He was a hard worker and a good friend," said Jeremy Thames owner of Thames Landscaping. "He was a good friend with everyone he worked with. He will be missed."

Bullock said an autopsy was not planned but that toxicology tests would conducted.

Contact Staff Writer Belton White at bwhite@theitem.com or (803) 774-1295.