Athens County man suffered head injuries

William Burke, who lives in the small town of Hockingport in Athens County, was among the 19 wounded in the car attack on demonstrators counter-protesting the white supremacist rally Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. One woman was killed.

According Eric Swinson, public information officer with the University of Virginia Health System, Burke ws in fair condition as of Sunday morning.

Burke’s wife, Annie Burke, wrote on Facebook that he had “sustained significant head injuries” after the car plowed through people.

A friend, Felicia Mettler, told WBNS-TV (Channel 10) that Bill Burke had stopped by her house this past week to borrow a megaphone.

“He didn’t go to start a fight. He went to make the world a better place and to use his voice,” said Mettler.

Mettler said fellow marchers used Burke’s cellphone to contact his wife.

“It absolutely sickens me, the fact that someone can use their voice for peace against hate and against racism and to be so violently struck, deliberately,” Mettler said.

Burke is listed in fair condition at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

The International Socialist Organization, of which Burke is a member, has established a YouCaring page to collect money for his medical expenses.