Tormenta FC 2 player dies after hit-and-run accident

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - A Tormenta FC player has died from injuries he sustained when he was driving an electric scooter and hit by a vehicle.

The team released the following statement late Saturday night:

“South Georgia Tormenta FC are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Tormenta FC 2 defender David Carter Payne. Carter passed away today, July 9. 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. Carter was hospitalized at Memorial Health: Southeast Georgia Hospital after being involved in a vehicle, pedestrian accident in Statesboro, Georgia. Carter’s family, friends and the entirety of Tormenta Nation are grieving today.”

Statesboro Police say around 1:00 A.M. Saturday Carter Payne was on a Lime electric scooter crossing Fair Road near Food World, going toward the Georgia Southern campus side of the road when he was hit by a vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle that hit Payne left the scene.

They say Payne was flown to Savannah, where he later died from his injuries.

Tormenta FC put a statement out on Twitter Saturday morning, confirming that a player on their League Two roster injured in an accident.

According to their roster, Carter Payne is a defender from the University of Michigan that has played in eight games. The club confirmed that this is the same person that was hit. His Michigan bio confirms that he is a 20-year-old from Phoenix, AZ. He was listed on the Wolverines roster from 2019-2020.

This is Payne’s first year with the South Georgia club. According to Michigan’s athletic department, Payne was Academic All-Big 10 and received the U-M Athletic Academic Achievement award.

Tormenta 2 was slated to play a match in Statesboro Friday night, but it was cancelled due to weather. The League 1 team did play their match Saturday, and the women’s team is slated to play Sunday evening.

At this time, they do not know what type of vehicle hit Payne. WTOC has requested reports and will update with any additional information.

South Georgia Tormenta FC and the Ibis Foundation have announced the formation of The Carter Payne Fund, established in memory of Carter Payne.

The Ibis Foundation will accept donations in memory of Carter, which will go to the family and to funding a new Carter Payne Scholarship, in which one TFC Academy player’s team and uniform fees will be covered each year, starting with the TFC Academy’s 2023 season.

The local soccer community has shown support online for Payne’s loved ones, including the Savannah Clovers and Georgia Southern’s men’s soccer head coach.

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