Fatal accident UPDATE

The coroner moments ago identified the fatal victim in this morning’s accident near Westminster.  He was the moped operator, Francisco Garcia, 65, of Westminster.  Garcia lost his life in an accident a little more than one mile from his home city.  The accident, involving a car and a moped, was reported around 6:45 this morning on two-lane SC 183/the Walhalla Highway, near Plant Road.  That accident required a temporary detour for 183 traffic in that vicinity.  The patrol plans to issue further details of the accident.  By the coroner’s count, the death was the 20th highway fatality this year in Oconee County, an unusually high number.  The last two deaths were moped operators.