Family vows to keep 19-year-old’s spirit alive after fatal motorcycle crash: ‘He was a light’
RADFORD, Va. (WDBJ/Gray News) - Even as a Virginia family mourns their 19-year-old son following a fatal accident, they’re turning their pain into purpose by advocating for motorcycle safety.
Michael Price was riding his motorcycle April 18 in Radford when he collided with a pickup truck whose driver turned in front of him. The 19-year-old Price was thrown off his motorcycle and killed, WDBJ reports.
“When he got to the hospital, he was not stable. He was gone,” said Rebecca Hughes, Price‘s mother.
She says the pain of losing her son at such a young age is indescribable.
“He loved hunting and riding his bike. Anything that he could ride, he loved. He was just a free spirit, wild and goofy. Yeah, silly. He loved playing jokes,” Hughes said.
Now, Price’s family is turning their pain into purpose by increasing awareness of motorcycle safety in an effort to help save the next rider. They hope others will them in advocating for stricter regulations and make sure to not only look out for cars on the roads but motorcycles, as well.
“We just want to keep his name alive. We’re going to have a billboard for him... We’re going to try to do an event every couple months, just so his name is said every day,” Hughes said.
The family says working to keep other bikers safe on the road will help them heal and keep Price’s bright spirit alive.
“He was a light, and there has to be a light at the end of this tunnel somewhere, somehow. If it’s helping the next rider or the next family, great,” said Amber Auvil, Price’s stepmother.
The family says they are also working out the details for a memorial ride in June, which everyone is welcome to attend.
Copyright 2025 WDBJ via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
