A Georgia couple has left behind 13 children after they were killed in a horrific ATV crash over Labor Day weekend.
On Saturday, Marcus Ragland, 34, and Ashley Hawkins, 31, were involved in a crash while riding an ATV with seven of their children at the Indian Mountain ATV Park, located near the border of Georgia and Alabama.
Ragland was a father to ten children and was expecting two more with different partners, while Hawkins was a mother of three, two of whom she shared with Ragland.
Though details of their relationship dynamics are not entirely clear, it seems that the couple was still together despite Ragland’s incoming children with other women.
According to the Cherokee County Alabama Sheriff’s Office, their side-by-side RZR utility vehicle collided with another RZR, leading it to overturn and crash into a tree.
Ragland, who was driving the vehicle, was ejected and pronounced deceased at the scene.
Hawkins was transported to a local trauma center where she later succumbed to her injuries.
The seven children, who are between the ages of 1 and 12 years old, were also injured in the crash and taken to the hospital for treatment.
‘They keep asking for momma, and I don’t want to say because we haven’t told them about her yet,’ family friend Monica Watkins WSB-TV.
Marcus Ragland (left), 34, and Ashley Hawkins (right), 31, were killed in a horrific ATV crash over Labor Day weekend
The couple, along with their seven children, were riding the ATV at the Indian Mountain ATV Park, near Georgia and Alabama’s boundary, when the incident happened on Saturday.
Ragland was a father of 10 who was expecting two more babies and Hawkins was a mom-of-three, two of whom she shared with Ragland
Ragland’s mother, Felicia Towers, said her son was adventurous and went to the ATV park every weekend.
‘I’m still waiting on him to come through the door, but I know he’s not coming,’ she told 11 Alive.
‘He wanted to share the experience with his children this time. They were all eager for the outing, and it sadly turned into a tragedy. It’s a situation I deeply regret,’ one person reflected.
The couple’s longtime friend, Maya Boyett, told Atlanta News First that they were good people who loved their kids.
‘Both of them are gone. They are both two good people, good to their kids. And I really hate that they’re gone now,’ Boyett said.
‘I’ll always make sure that they know Marcus, say, “Your daddy was that dude,” you know what I’m saying? Always, for sure.
‘I’ll always speak his name, especially around his kids, and let them know they had a good daddy, and I’ll do the same for her kids.’
Ragland’s older sister, Lakeisha Floyd, told the local news station that her brother loved to live life to the fullest.
Ragland’s mother, Felicia Towers, said her son was adventurous and went to the ATV park every weekend
Seven children of their shared children, who are between the ages of 1 and 12 years old, were also injured in the crash and taken to the hospital for treatment
‘And whatever he wanted to do, that’s what he did it. He said, “Life is for living,” and that’s what he did,’ said Floyd.
She described Hawkins as ‘a very sweet soul.’
‘Like always was really, really sweet. I’ve never seen her in a bad mood – like, always smiling,’ Floyd said.
Audrey Dunn, who shared a 5-year-old and 1-year-old with Ragland and is pregnant with another one of his children, said her kids were injured in the crash.
‘I couldn’t find my kids, because they were in the accident,’ Dunn told Fox 5.
‘My 1-year-old is limping, and his face is scratched up pretty bad, [my other son] has a gash on the top of his head, but he’s okay, so thank God the babies are okay.’
She explained that her children are having a difficult time processing what happened and understanding that their father is gone.
‘My oldest son, he’s five, he remembers everything that happened,’ Dunn said. ‘He told me when we got to the hospital, and I got to go in, he said, “Mom, my dad died, but it’s OK because he’ll be back to get me tomorrow.” So he doesn’t understand that he will never see him again.’
The couple’s longtime friend, Maya Boyett, told Atlanta News First that they were good people who loved their kids
Ragland’s older sister, Lakeisha Floyd, she her brother lived life to the fullest and described Hawkins (pictured) as ‘a very sweet soul’
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Ragland’s children. Hawkins’s family set up a separate fundraiser for her kids.
Two of Ragland’s other children told the local news outlet they have been devastated by the news.
‘Ever since I found out, I’ve been really sad,’ said Makaylee McCary, Ragland’s daughter.
Ragland’s son, Blayze McCary, said although hey didn’t have much time with their father, ‘Now, we don’t have no more time with him, so it don’t feel good.’
