A high-speed motorcycle wreck claimed the life of a Clinton man Friday night, according to information from N.C. Highway Patrol investigators.

The deadly wreck occurred minutes after 9 p.m. on Beulah Road, less than 100 feet south of Red Hill Church Road, said Trooper K.D. Williamson.

Brent Sampson, 24, of 1254 W. Main St., Clinton, was traveling north on Beulah Road when the motorcycle he was riding traveled off the side of the road as he attempted to maneuver a curve in the roadway. The motorcycle struck a ditch, throwing Sampson off, Williamson said.

“The motorcycle kept going north, hit a tree and caught fire,” the trooper said.

Sampson was wearing a helmet at the time, however the injuries he sustained were too severe. Highway Patrol and emergency personnel responded to the accident, where Sampson was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were no other vehicles involved in Friday night’s fatal wreck, in which speed was the dominant factor.

“Speed was a factor in the wreck,” said Williamson.

He said the motorcycle was estimated to be traveling 100 mph at the time.

It is the second death on Sampson County roadways in little more than a week.

An elderly man was struck and killed as he rode his scooter on Faircloth Freeway just eight days earlier.

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by email at sicrime@heartlandpublications.com.