shit ... RIP Lofty ! ich sage immer wieder motorräder sind todesschleudern
Zitat:
A motorcycle crash in Vacaville claimed the life of the lead singer of the Vallejo rap group N2Deep and his wife on Saturday night.
Joseph "Lofty" Davis Battle, 41, and his wife, Tamera Brown, 43, of Vacaville, were riding northbound on Christine Drive just before 6:38 p.m., according to police. The couple was passing Cooper Elementary School in the 700 block of Christine Drive when Battle was "unable to negotiate a turn in the roadway" and slammed into the back of a parked Chevy Avalanche, authorities said.
Vacaville police had received a report of a motorcycle speeding and when an officer went to investigate, found the Harley and both of its riders down, according to police.
Members of the Vacaville Fire Department arrived and attempted life saving efforts on both Battle and Brown, but the couple was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Battle and Brown had lived in Vacaville for about 12 years and according to friends, the crash took place just blocks away from the friends' home where they were heading to spend the evening.
The couple leaves behind two children and a legacy as being an "adventurous, fun-loving, close-knit family," said Andrea Gallagher, who has known Brown since high school.
A memorial honoring the couple was held Sunday morning at the scene of the crash and drew about 50 people.
An iron heart with roses laced through it and a large pink heart with glitter, a collage of pictures and the words "mom & dad" painted
on it marked the spot for passers-by. All around the bottom of the cross and heart, pink and red roses, carnations, daisies and an assortment of other flower arrangements covered the ground.
Later that afternoon, a number of friends and family gathered to share memories, laughs and teary hugs as they recalled everything about their beloved friends from their sense of humor, to girls nights, to cooking.
"They were coming over here last night, just to hang out," said Jim Capoot, who has known the couple for years and vacationed with them in Hawaii 10 years ago.
Capoot's wife, Jennifer, said that the family of four had spent the entire day together prior to the accident while Battle coached pony league baseball tryouts.
"It was nice that all four of them were together. ... They were together all day. They took the bike out for a ride afterwards, Joe had just put his bike back together, he was anxious, and that's who they were, they were a family," she said, adding that Battle and Brown had been together since they were "young kids."
The street was closed off for several hours after the crash while officers conducted their investigation. Police are continuing to investigate, but authorities said that it appeared that Battle was "traveling well in excess" of the street's posted speed limit of 25 mph. Authorities are encouraging anyone with information to contact the Vacaville Police Department at 449-5200.
A memorial fund is being set up through Travis Credit Union.