Families mourn the loss of two children in UTV accident

Two families are mourning the deaths of 8-month-old Legend and 2-year-old RJ Northington in their own ways.

The brothers were passengers on a UTV that crashed at an ATV park near Norman on June 30. According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, both were in approved child seats and were securely buckled.

The vehicle landed in a deep spot in the Canadian River and eventually sank. Rescue workers pulled the UTV out after 20 minutes. Legend died the same day and RJ died on Tuesday. Investigators called it a tragic accident.

Angel Northington, the paternal grandmother, remembered the first call she received about the incident.

“He tells me Legend doesn’t have a heartbeat and I’m like, ‘What?'” Northington said. “So then I start to panic and get nervous. I try to get out of the house as fast as I can.”

The children were there with their mother and fiancé and two other children.

“There are a lot of rumors that alcohol, drugs and the like were involved, although that was not the case,” said Dylan Clark, a maternal uncle.

Clark said the mother’s family faced harassment following the incident. He said his family’s grief was interrupted by alleged verbal abuse and threatening messages online and in person.

“Everyone grieves in their own way. And unfortunately, some people just lash out,” he said. “And that’s unfortunate.”

Northington and her family are trying to justify their feelings after the tragedy. According to her, no one on her father’s side knew about the plans that day.

“They should never have been in the back of the UTV,” she said. “We will eventually pass legislation to ensure that children are not allowed to ride in these vehicles.”

Despite the differences between the families, both are asking for the public’s support and privacy as they make arrangements and grieve. The families of the father and mother have each started a GoFundMe campaign.

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