Boy, 9, left orphaned after parents went for motorbike ride with no helmets on
A nine year-old boy has been left orphaned after his parents went for a motorcycle ride with no helmets on and suffered a deadly crash.
James Richard Rogers Jr, 32, died at the scene of the smash in Fair Play, South Carolina on Thursday.
His girlfriend Mary Rebecca Graham, 35, survived and was rushed to hospital in a coma.
Tragically, she died of complications related to a head injury she sustained on Saturday night.
Rogers, who was driving the bike, and Graham, who was riding pillion, were killed after their bike hit a Dodge pickup truck.
The driver of that truck, William Edward Hardin, 62, was uninjured, and has been arrested for failure to yield at a stop sign, The State reported.
The biker couple plowed into him because of this oversight, according to police.
Rogers’ sister Monica Rogers was among those who paid tribute online.
She wrote: ‘My brother and his wife are together ridding heavens streets of gold. RIP Mary and Richie. We love you both.’
Speaking to FoxCarolina, Rogers’ other sister Kristie Rogers added: ‘He’d had a heart of gold. He would give you the shirt off his back.’
Family friend Lisa Jordan added: ‘May they rest in peace together.’
The family have said they bear no ill-will towards Hardin, and added that they are thinking of him too.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for the couple’s funeral, with any leftover cash to help their orphaned son.