Macon brothers, 10 and 14, killed in 'terrible tragedy' at mud bogging event

Two Macon brothers were killed Saturday evening and a third child was seriously injured when they were hit by a truck at a mud bogging event in Milledgeville.

The 10-year-old and 14-year-old were pronounced dead about 7:30 p.m. at South Creek Mud Boggin' at 2949 Irwinton Road, Baldwin County Coroner John Gonzalez said.

"It was a terrible, terrible tragedy," the coroner said.

Authorities identified the brothers as Justin and Ryan Moore.

A relative of the Moore family, 11-year-old Zach Holloway, was severely injured. He was taken by helicopter to Navicent Health, where he remained in serious condition Monday, hospital spokeswoman Megan Allen said.

The brothers were struck as the driver of a Chevrolet S10, 50-year-old Tommy Howell, was finishing his run through the mud pit. Howell was preparing to exit when the truck's throttle apparently got stuck, Georgia State Patrol Trooper Tyler Easter said.

"We're not 100 percent certain on that," Easter said of the mechanical failure.

Howell, of McRae, was unable to slow, lost control of the truck and passed the turn to exit, Easter said. The truck barreled through a cabled area and hit the three children before overturning.

"When the truck started coming toward the fence, the witnesses said the kids saw it and began to run, but they ended up running in front of the truck," Easter said.

The Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is investigating and charges against Howell are pending.

Representatives of South Creek Mud Boggin' declined to comment when reached by phone Sunday.

The company posted condolences on its Facebook page: "Our Mud Boggin’ family is heartbroken. There are no words that can ever be said to even begin to express our sorrow. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families involved."

The company's website advertised the "Rooster Tail Madness" event and invited Outlaw, Modified and Super-Stock trucks to race on the mud track. The track was rebuilt and the racing format added for the 2018 season, which started in March, the site says.

This story was originally published June 17, 2018 at 1:10 PM with the headline "Macon brothers, 10 and 14, killed in 'terrible tragedy' at mud bogging event."