21-year-old dies in NC motorcycle crash hours before becoming a godfather, friend says
A 21-year-old was hours away from becoming a godfather when his life was cut short in a North Carolina crash, his friend said.
Joseph “Cole” Southern, who was also expecting a child of his own, was riding a motorcycle when state troopers said an SUV crossed into oncoming traffic on Monday, Sept. 12. He died at the scene.
Jalon Moorefield, a close friend, said he was at a Winston-Salem hospital for the birth of his daughter when he found out.
“We had already agreed previously that he was going to be her godfather and he said, ‘No matter the time, no matter the day, no matter the place, I’ll be there,’” Moorefield told WGHP. “That’s just what keeps playing on repeat.”
The night of the crash, Moorefield said he saw an ambulance drop off another injured friend at the hospital. Then, he got the devastating news about Southern, he told McClatchy News in a Facebook message.
About 12 hours after his friend died, Moorefield’s fiancée gave birth to their baby girl. She has the middle name “Jo” in his memory.
“(Losing) his life and gaining hers has sent both of our (families) on a very emotional roller coaster,” Moorefield wrote.
Southern, a Germanton resident whose fiancée is pregnant, is remembered in his obituary as a man who enjoyed working on diesel engines. He also had an interest in the outdoors and was known for being selfless.
“He was compassionate towards others his entire life, having a heart so big that he would give when he didn’t have to give,” according to the post on the Burroughs Funeral Home website.
But the 21-year-old’s life came to an end when he was riding with a friend near the town of King, roughly 15 miles northwest of Winston-Salem. The N.C. State Highway Patrol said an SUV hit both of their motorcycles on Mountain View Road.
The SUV driver and the other motorcycle rider were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. As of Sept. 15, charges were pending against the SUV driver, according to Master Trooper Ned Moultrie.
After the deadly Stokes County crash, Southern’s father told WGHP the joy of having a child had turned into pain.
“It’s that much pain, it’s unbelievable,” the 21-year-old’s dad, Joe Southern, told the TV station. “Pain that I wish on no one.”
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