“Two young lives taken away from us way too early. You and Nicky party hard and don’t cause too much trouble. We will all be up there with you two in time.” This was one of the many Facebook tributes to another young life lost too soon.
Wearing red ties, a very youthful crowd gathered at St Monica’s Catholic Church in Richmond on Monday, April 30 to farewell a mate – Benjamin Tanti from Glossodia who died when his motorbike collided with a station wagon on Mitchell Drive on the evening of Monday, April 23.
It was a tragedy all too familiar for some. Just two years ago and wearing purple, many of the same crowd gathered at the same place at the same time (11am) to say goodbye to 17-year-old Nick Cockerell, who was killed when his car collided with
another vehicle and overturned.
Hawkesbury Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision and at this stage are unable to determine if speed was a factor or who was at fault.
It is believed that Mr Tanti was riding his Kawasaki motorbike south along Mitchell Drive when he collided with a station wagon at about 5.10pm. The motorcycle then hit a tree and he was thrown off, hitting a letterbox. A number of residents attempted first aid but despite their efforts, Mr Tanti died at the scene.
A 43-year-old woman, who was driving the vehicle, was not injured in the collision but was taken to Hawkesbury Hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests.
Both vehicles were also taken for mechanical examination.
When news of Ben’s death travelled, facebook tributes poured in for the “larger than life” 20-year-old, described by his friends as like a “brother,” and “a great caring guy”.
But it’s some other Facebook comments and photos (which have since been deleted) that were posted by Ben’s friends that have sparked community concerns.
A photo of a car speedometer clocking over 200km/h was posted on January 26 with the comment “Just cruzen.”
Comments and jokes were also made about driving at 144km/h in a100 zone and drink driving, with some even egging others on. In the last week alone, a number of photos have been posted of burnout marks on local roads with “Did this one for you Tanti” written below.
Our youth have been hit hard in the last year, with Jacob Books,19, dying when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a four-wheel-drive on Grose Vale Road, and in the same year Scott Solomon, 20, was killed while riding his motorbike along Stony Creek Road at Shanes Park.
