Owen Hart and Athena Faye Taylor, newly engaged Utah couple and Jeremy Gebo killed by DUI truck driver, Claude Rafiki, riding motorbikes in Nevada.
A newly engaged Utah couple were killed along with a friend in a head-on crash with an allegedly drunk tractor trailer driver last weekend.
Owen Hart, 22, his fiancé Athena Faye Taylor, 21, and friend Jeremy Gebo, 44, were killed on March 23 while riding motorcycles on Route 163 in Laughlin, Nevada.
They were allegedly hit by alleged drunk driver, Claude Rafiki, 29, who is accused of veering into oncoming traffic. He has been charged with three counts of DUI resulting in death.
Motorbike ride was part of birthday celebrations
A GoFundMe page for the engaged couple stated they were ‘just beginning their love story’ and ‘more than soulmates – they were best friends.’
On Wednesday, a Nevada judge set Rafiki’s bail at $500,000, and ordered him to not drink or drive, should he post bond, according to 8NewsNow.
Court proceedings were delayed by several days as the courts were required to find a translator for Rafiki, because he only speaks Kinyarwanda, a central African dialect.
According to the reported charges, cops believe he had been travelling down the wrong side of the road before striking the three motorcyclists.
Owen Hart’s family told 8NewsNow that he had only recently turned 22, and had ambitions to begin a career as a trucker.
The motorcycle ride that saw him lose his life was part of a birthday celebration, they added.
‘Love for adventure’
Melissa Hart, Owen Hart’s mother, said the truck rounded a corner and crashed into her son and another rider. At the time, the mom and Owen’s dad were riding behind the newly engaged couple when a macabre sight greeted the parents when they finally caught up to the other two bikes ahead of her.
‘I’ll never get over riding up to the scene of the crash,’ the mom said.
Hart and Taylor had gotten engaged at Christmas last year, and friend Caleb Gwilliam wrote in the fundraiser that they were ‘taken from this world too soon.’
‘They were not just “soon to be” partners in life, but also in their love for adventure, the outdoors, and the thrill of the open road and partners in spirit,’ the fundraiser, for funeral costs, stated.
‘On Christmas 2023, Owen asked Athena to spend forever with him. This was to be just the beginning of their love story, filled with dreams of a bright future.
‘Owen and Athena were more than soulmates; they were best friends, seeking adventure and sharing their love for life with everyone around them.
‘Owen and Athena’s spirit and love will live on our hearts.’
Police have not released any information about why they believe Rafiki was impaired.
