Tormenta FC 2 player Carter David Payne died Saturday following a scooter accident in Statesboro in which he suffered fatal injuries.
Payne was airlifted to Memorial Hospital Savannah Saturday morning around 1 a.m., according to police reports and Tormenta's Twitter account. Late Saturday evening, Tormenta FC confirmed that Payne had passed away.
According to police, Payne was on a Lime electric scooter when he was struck by a vehicle while crossing Fair Road close to the Food World near the Georgia Southern University campus. The driver left the scene before police arrived.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Statesboro Police Department at (912) 764-9911 or the Georgia State Patrol at (912) 688-6999. Anonymous tips may be left at tips@statesboroga.gov.
In an email release late Saturday night, Tormenta FC wrote:
“South Georgia Tormenta FC are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Tormenta FC 2 defender David Carter Payne. A member of Tormenta FC 2’s 2022 USL League Two team, Payne was a tremendous athlete, teammate and friend, and he will be sorely missed by everyone involved at the club.”
In addition to his spot on the Tormenta roster, Payne was a defender with the University of Michigan, by way of Phoenix, Ariz. While at Michigan, Payne was named to the Academic All-Big Ten (2020) team as well as receiving a U-M Athletic Academic Achievement (2019) award.
On Tormenta's web site, his bio reads: "Carter Payne hails from the Big Ten Conference, one of the top collegiate conferences in the United States, where he brings two seasons of playing experience at the University of Michigan. Payne held down the Michigan backline for 18 matches in 2019 and 2020. The defender also spent the 2021 USL League Two season with PDX FC where he played in seven matches and 585 minutes for the Oregon-based club. While on the pitch, Payne helped the PDX defense record one clean sheet and aided the team to a second-place standing in the Northwest Division."
Tormenta officials stated that Payne's family was able to visit with him Saturday and that team members throughout the organization were notified of Payne's passing on Saturday night.
The Herald will update this story with more information in the coming days.