The mother of two of Marcus Ragland’s children, who were involved in the accident Saturday, said it’s difficult to explain what has fully happened to her 5-year-old.
ROME, Ga. — Loved ones shared their disbelief Sunday after the death of a north Georgia father in an ATV accident in Alabama.
“I’m still waiting on him to come through the door,” his mother said, “but I know he’s not coming.”
Marcus Ragland died in the crash at the Indian Mountain ATV Park in Cherokee County, Alabama. The mother of two of his children, Ashley Hawkins, also lost her life in the tragic accident.
Audrey Dunn, who shared a 5-year-old and 1-year-old with Ragland, shared with 11Alive’s Gilat Melamed the heartbreakingly difficult situation trying to explain what has fully happened to her oldest child.
 “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.”
Ragland’s mother, Felicia Towers, described her 34-year-old son as adventurous and someone who lived life to the fullest. He went to the ATV park every weekend, she said.
“This time he wanted to take his children with him, you know, to share the fun,” Towers said. “They were ready to go, so it just ended up being a tragedy. I just hate it.”
Seven children were also injured in the accident. Four of them were transported by ambulance to a hospital in Rome and were released as of Sunday night, while three were airlifted to a medical center in Birmingham and, as of the most recent update, were still hospitalized. Hawkins was also airlifted to Birmingham.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Ragland’s children. It said he’s a father of 10 kids in all, with two more on the way. A little more than $1,300 of a $2,400 goal has been raised as of Monday morning.
The accident happened in a side-by-side RZR when they hit another RZR, then overturned and struck a tree. Officials described a difficult rescue response in the remote area.
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation. The sheriff in Cherokee County, Jeff Shaver, said it happened while the RZR was traveling at a “high rate of speed” on what used to be an old railroad track that was fairly flat with a slight curve. Nobody inside the ATV was harnessed when the crash occurred, according to the sheriff, who said it is not safe to have nine people inside a RZR. According to manufacturer listings, RZRs are sold in two and four seat models.
“This is a tragic accident and highlights the importance of operating RZRs and other recreational vehicles in a safe and responsible manner,” Sheriff Shaver added in a statement earlier Sunday.