TAYLORSVILLE, Utah -- A Taylorsville mother who lost her son in a motorcycle accident is reminding riders to be safe.
The 22-month-old boy, RJ, died after his father, Shannon Terrell Moore, took him on a motorcycle ride and crashed in August 2012.
Moore was charged with child abuse homicide and other misdemeanor charges including driving under a suspended license and not having his son wear protective head gear.
RJ's mother, Sequoia Moore, doesn't want other parents to experience the pain of losing a child. Moore said that she has seen many people taking children on motorcycles without helmets.
"I know that it's probably just they want to give their children an experience, they want to give them a thrill and it probably seems safe to go 5 mph, 10 mph around the neighborhood," Moore said.
Moore said her now ex-husband insisted on taking RJ for a spin on his motorcycle around their Taylorsville apartment complex. She didn't think it was a good idea and suggested they take a walk instead.
They left and Moore got a call approximately 30 minutes later from a neighbor saying there had been a terrible accident.
RJ had been on the motorcycle with his dad, and was not wearing a helmet.
Neighbors tried to flag down Shannon Moore and get him to slow down. Investigators said he was going about 45 mph when he slammed the motorcycle into a wall.
Sequoia Moore relives that day over and over and said it have been tough to move on without her only child. Since the accident, she has seen countless examples of parents riding with little ones, without helmets, and she urges parents to think twice.
"It doesn't always have to be the motorcyclist that makes the mistake and it just takes a brief second to lose that precious little life," said Sequoia Moore."They're so small and their heads are so fragile and the ground is so hard and unforgiving."
The Unified police offer who handled this investigation said these cases are always tough, especially when you're dealing with kids. They unfortunately see it all too often, especially in the summer months when parents may think it is ok to ride with a child out in the mountains.They said it is just too risky, because they have seen the consequences of an adult's poor choice.
