Ashley Hawkins Obituary, Death; – A mother and father tragically lost their lives in a devastating ATV accident that also left seven of their 11 children injured, as reported.
Marcus Ragland and Ashley Hawkins perished when the recreational vehicle they were operating collided with another ATV while off-roading on Saturday afternoon at Indian Mountain ATV Park in Piedmont, Alabama, according to WANF.
Their speeding ATV traveled 150 feet before crashing into a tree, officials informed the outlet, noting that it appeared no one was wearing a seatbelt.
Ragland was declared dead at the scene, while Hawkins was airlifted to a hospital, where she subsequently passed away.
All seven children accompanying them were hospitalized, with four being transported by helicopter, the outlet reported. Ragland was a father of 10, and Hawkins was a mother of three, including two children with Ragland, as stated by the outlet.
“This is just so hard to deal with. It’s just so hard,” expressed Ragland’s mother, Felecia Towers, to WANF.
Maya Boyett, a longtime friend of both individuals, remarked that it was “tragic both of them are gone.”
“They are both two good people, good to their kids, and I really hate that they’re gone now,” she added.
Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency Director Shawn Rogers indicated that “information being provided is that no one was wearing a harness or restraint.”
However, he noted, “there’s nothing that says that everybody that gets in [an ATV] has to be restrained” with a seatbelt, referring to safety regulations. “That’s one of those things that personal responsibility has to be taken to ensure your own safety and the safety of those that’s in your care.”
Ragland’s 13-year-old son sustained a skull fracture. His 10-year-old daughter suffered a broken collarbone, and his 2-year-old daughter has injuries to her spleen, WANF reported.
Officials stated that no one on the second ATV was injured.
