Families Grieving The Loss Of 2 Children In UTV Crash

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

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 car seats and securely buckled.

The vehicle hit a deep spot in the Canadian river and eventually sank. Emergency responders pulled the UTV out after 20 minutes. Legend died the same day, and RJ died on Tuesday. Investigators said it is a tragic accident.

Angel Northington, the grandmother on the father's side, reflected on the first phone call she received about the incident.

"He tells me Legend doesn't have a heartbeat and I'm like, what?" said Northington. "So, then I'm panicking and then I'm nervous. I'm trying to get out of the house as fast as I can."

The children were with their mother and her fiancé, and two other children. 

"There's a bunch of rumors out there that there was alcohol and drugs and all that involved, when there wasn't," said Dylan Clark, an uncle on the mother's side.

Clark said the mother's family has been subject to harassment following the incident. He said his family's grief has been interrupted by alleged instances of name-calling and threatening messages online and in-person.

"Everyone kind of grieves in their own ways. And unfortunately, some people just lash out," he said. "And it's unfortunate."

Northington and her family are rationalizing their own feelings following the tragedy. According to her, no one on the father's side was aware of the plans that day.

"They should have never been in the back of the UTV," she said. "We're going to go through with legislation eventually, and we're going to make sure that there's no kids allowed on these."

Despite the differences among the families, both are asking for the publics support and privacy as they make arrangements and grieve. The father and mother's families have each started a GoFundMe.

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