An 18-year-old Lumberton man lost his life late Tuesday evening after a fatal dirt bike collision on West Third Street in Pembroke, North Carolina.
LeAustin C. Scott, known to those closest to him as “Lee Lee” and “Cheeseburger,” died at the scene, leaving behind a grieving family and a community shaken by the sudden loss of a young man whose warmth and laughter touched nearly everyone around him.
According to the Pembroke Police Department, officers responded to a deadly collision in the 800 block of West Third Street in the Pembroke area of Robeson County.
Investigators said Scott was operating a dirt bike and traveling westbound on Third Street when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree. Emergency responders were unable to save him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The department has opened a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash, though initial reports indicate no other vehicles were involved.
A Community Gathers to Say Goodbye
Word of Scott’s passing spread quickly through Pembroke and the surrounding Robeson County area, as friends and family took to social media to share memories of a young man who, by all accounts, carried a rare kind of energy into every room he entered.
His aunt, Denise Scott, posted from a nearby McDonald’s on West Third Street just hours after the tragedy, organizing a balloon release ceremony directly across from the restaurant.
The gathering called for red and blue balloons and was open to anyone who wanted to come out and honor his memory.
“Due to the recent passing of my nephew yesterday, I’m struggling to find the words,” she wrote. “My family and I are going through a tough time as we come to terms with the loss of Leaustin Scott.”
Family friend Chasity Marie also shared a heartfelt tribute online, recalling the kind of quiet, steady presence Scott brought to the people he loved most.
She described how he would get on the floor and play with the younger children in their circle, how he always made sure to put the babies first, and how he was the very first person to show up to her daughter’s birthday party when others had not come through.
“You were always the baby in the group,” she wrote. “The way you and the babies picked with each other is going to kill me thinking about it, because they won’t remember you.”
A Young Life Remembered
Those who knew LeAustin Scott painted a picture of someone who gave love freely and who carried a bright, unmistakable smile wherever he went.
Friends noted that he had endured real hardship in his young life, including the earlier loss of his father, and that he leaned on the people around him while also being a steady source of support for others going through their own pain.
He was 18 years old.
The Pembroke Police Department has not yet released additional details about whether any citations or charges are expected to follow the investigation.
As the community mourns, the family has asked that those who loved LeAustin keep them in their thoughts and prayers during what they described as an incredibly difficult time.
