ROBY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Grave news traveled the small community of Roby fast when a 15-year-old boy was pronounced dead after a crash between a semi truck and a motorcycle.
Thursday, May 25 around 7:30 p.m., the town of Roby was forever changed. According to a crash report from the Texas Department of Safety (DPS), the teen lost control of his motorcycle and collided with an oncoming semi truck as he was turning off U.S. Highway-180, on to Ammons Street.
Out of respect to his family, KTAB/KRBC will not be releasing the young man’s name.
“You always say, ‘not here, not these kids.’ But it’s very real and you have to live every day as if it’s your last, and unfortunately, it was,” said Former Roby teacher, Amy Dick.
Phone calls rang out moments after the crash, alerting those who knew the teen and his family to the tragedy.
“We got the call, and they broke the news to us. I was shocked, I started almost balling up,” Roby Church of Christ preacher Aaron Solis recalled.
Solis and Dick told KTAB/KRBC they knew the teen and were utterly shocked to hear of his sudden passing. In a small town like Roby, none are exempt from the pain.
“Some are taking it harder than others. Some that- they are very close to him, but also some that, again, he was loved by a lot of people,” included Solis.
Sergeant Marc Couch with the Texas DPS responded to the scene. He expressed the department’s deepest condolences to the family and friends of the young man.
“In a small community like Roby, any loss, especially of a young person is a huge impact on the community and those people that knew him, went to school with him… These parents and the family that- the family of that young man – are grieving, and really have paid a huge, dear cost,” Sgt. Couch said.
Due to the teen’s age and the difficult nature of the news, Roby schools opened their doors Friday morning, inviting anyone in need of counseling to come by and speak with their crisis intervention team or local preachers who showed up to lend support.
“I would let the students know that we are here for them, that we care about them genuinely, and that struggling with something like this is nothing to be ashamed of- that Grief is normal and there are different ways to deal with it,” assured Dick. “But there are also healthy ways to deal with it. We definitely want to make sure that that’s being taken care of.”
Local churches and residents also offered their support to those impacted by this loss as they continue into the summer months, adding that healing may take time, but no one needs to go through it alone.
“We’re not the only church that’s doing something. I know others are having prayer chains and all that other stuff, so… We can be available to any of them at any time if need be,” Solis added.
KTAB/KRBC did reach out to Roby Schools and the young man’s family. The family understandably declined to speak at this difficult time, and Roby schools were unavailable for comment.