Sean Garinger, best known for appearing on 16 and Pregnant alongside his ex Selena Gutierrez, has died following a horrific ATV accident. He was 20, People reports.
According to the report by People, the reality star Sean Garinger, who shared two children with Gutierrez, was moving an ATV from one parking spot to another in front of his home in Boone, North Carolina on Feb. 28 when the tragedy happened, his mother, Mary Hobbs, told The U.S. Sun.
“He was just moving [the ATV] from one parking spot to the next for me, so I could back into park,” Hobbs told the outlet. “He pulled [in] front of me to park the ATV and the ground gave way from all the rain and mud.”
The ATV then flipped and “crushed” his skull, Hobbs said.
“I ran to neighbors trying to get someone to help me get the ATV off of him. No one answered. I ran back to him,” she recalled. “By that time, I realized he wasn’t alive anymore.”
Hobbs told the outlet that she “laid next to him” until the ambulance arrived on the scene.
“There was a huge part of my heart that died with my son on Wednesday,” she continued. “He was my only son, my rock, my strength when I had none left.”
According to the report, People reached out to the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) for comment, though WCSO’s Major Kelly Redmon confirmed to the Watauga Democrat that they responded to the scene along with officials from the Boone Fire Department and Watauga Medics.
Redmon also identified Sean Garinger as the victim in the ATV accident.
“Our hearts are heavy with sorrow for the loss experienced by the family and loved ones of the victim,” the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, per the Watauga Democrat.
According to his obituary, Sean Garinger, affectionately known as “Squishy,” was a “military brat who touched lives all around the country” and his “kind and generous nature” was loved by all who knew him.
“Sean had a passion for living life to the fullest,” the obituary reads. “He enjoyed driving RC cars, sky diving, shark diving, dirt bikes, flying his drone, driving ATVs, surfing, and spending time in the ocean. His adventurous spirit and love for excitement were evident in all aspects of his life.”
Fans were first introduced to Garinger when he appeared alongside Gutierrez in season 6 of 16 and Pregnant. The reality series followed the story of the five new pregnant teens over a span of five weeks as they each became first-time mothers.
In one episode of the MTV show, Gutierrez’s mother sat the former couple down and offered some firm words to prepare them for parenthood.
“You all need to grow up within the next couple of days, you are babies having a baby,” she said at the time. “This baby came with a package, and that package is called responsibility.”
Garinger is survived by his daughters Dareli and Esmi, whom he shares with Gutierrez, as well as his mother and his sisters, Shania, Lydia, Isabella, Ember, Kayden and Casslyn, according to his obituary.
A service to honor his life was held on Saturday in the MTV personality’s hometown of Boone.