Sanford community mourns loss of 2 children who died in dirt bike crash

One by one, people stopped to pay their respects and leave gifts at a growing memorial for two children, ages two and five, killed in a crash in Sanford last week.

SANFORD, Fla. - Mark Brown still cannot wrap his head around how the lives of two young children ended in a Sanford neighborhood.

"It was sad," Brown said of the deadly crash that resulted in their deaths.

One by one, people stopped to pay their respects and leave gifts at a growing memorial for the kids, ages two and five, killed last week.

"My wife, she, every time she thinks about it, she starts crying," Brown continued. "That’s why I told her about the memorial. She told me to get her a balloon too, so I got one for me and one from my wife."

The Sanford Police Department said officers were called to the scene on Historic Goldsboro Blvd. around 7:30 p.m. on Friday evening. When they arrived, they found two children and a man severely injured. According to investigators, all three were riding on a dirt bike when they were hit by a pickup truck. Police said the truck and dirt bike had been traveling toward each other, and when the pickup truck tried to turn left onto Mulberry Ave., it hit the dirt bike.

John Henry Morgan said he was nearby when the crash happened and explained, "They kind of flooded out of the center to come over to see if anybody could do anything, but they again stayed clear of the victims."

The children died at the hospital. Police said their father is still there, in life-threatening condition.

"It’s a tragedy beyond comprehension," Morgan added.

While there is no current ordinance in Sanford, we learned state law governs the use of motorized vehicles. Under Florida law, all motor vehicles are required to be registered and the driver has to have a valid driver's license if driving on any roadway.

Sanford Police said criminal charges are now pending because the dirt bike was not street-legal, did not have a headlight, and was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed. Neither of the two children was wearing a helmet.