Staff Writer

Those who knew Shea Fleming described him as a hard-working, motivated person who had a heart of gold concerning the needs of others.

The 21-year-old USC-Union student and personal trainer at the Union County YMCA died Tuesday morning from injuries received in a single-car wreck on the Thornridge Road. Union County Coroner William Holcombe said Fleming, of 296 Oakland Road, died enroute to Wallace Thomson Hospital from multiple body trauma.

Lance Cpl. Ron Johnson, Highway Patrol spokesman, said Fleming was traveling toward the Meansville Road in a 2004 Chrysler Sebring when he lost control of the vehicle in a curve.

“He ran off the right side of the roadway, over-corrected, went back across the roadway, struck a fire hydrant and the car flipped several times,” Johnson said.

Johnson said an investigation into the wreck is continuing. Fleming was wearing a seat belt but speed may have been a factor in the crash on the tar and gravel road where the speed limit is 50 mph.

Fleming's car came to rest upside-down in the front yard of Dot Humphries on 326 Thornridge Road. Mrs. Humphries said she heard the crash, walked out and saw the car upside-down.

“I called 911 first then I went out there and tried to talk to him,” Mrs. Humphries said.

The yard was strewn with items from Fleming's car, including envelopes, compact discs, an empty energy drink can, a yearbook and his pay stub from the YMCA.

USC-Union Dean Hugh Rowland said faculty and students at the close knit school were devastated by Fleming's death.

“He was the most wonderful student,” Rowland said. “Happy go lucky, he just loved college. He told me that he had wanted to go off to college right away but after his first semester here his perception of USC-Union had changed so much. He said he had found the faculty rigorous, he had found the faculty was really interested in the students. He was just loving it here.”

Rowland said during the summer he had hired Fleming and a friend to work at the school, painting, moving furniture and doing other jobs.

Rowland said Fleming, his best friend, Cody Hearn, and another pal had been in a contest to see who could slim down and get in the best shape.

“It was amazing how much weight they had lost,” he said.

A joint program with the Union Music Club was held Tuesday night and Rowland said the school dedicated the program to Fleming. A Valentine's Dance tonight will be held in his memory.

“We thought about canceling it, but Shea would have wanted us to have it,” he said.

Faculty members told Rowland Tuesday afternoon that students were having a hard time dealing with Fleming's death.

“I am really going to miss him,” Rowland said. “He was one of my favorite students. It's always hard to lose a young person in the bloom of life.”

Fleming worked at the YMCA also worked out nearly every day for his own health, said front desk employee Ruth Ann Pitt.

“Shea was a super good guy,” she said. “He had lost a lot of weight and really done a lot for himself. He was going to the university and had big plans. But one thing everyone should know is he had a heart of gold. He would have done anything for anybody. He would sacrifice his own time and things he wanted to do if he thought there was a need.”