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‘16 and Pregnant’ Alum Sean Garinger Dead at Age 20 Following ATV Accident
16 and Pregnant alum Sean Garinger died following an ATV accident at the age of 20.
Sean’s mother, Mary Hobbs, confirmed that the tragedy occurred when he was moving an ATV to a different park spot in front of his home in Boone, North Carolina, on February 28.
“He was just moving [the ATV] from one parking spot to the next for me, so I could back into park,” she told The U.S. Sun on March 1. “He pulled [in] front of me to park the ATV and the ground gave way from all the rain and mud.”
Mary explained that the ATV then flipped and “crushed” his skull. “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 told the outlet. “By that time, I realized he wasn’t alive anymore.”
The matriarch “laid next” to Sean until the ambulance arrived at the scene. “There was a huge part of my heart that died with my son on Wednesday,” Mary said. “He was my only son, my rock, my strength when I had none left.”
Sean was “a military brat who touched lives all around the country,” according to his obituary. “He never knew a stranger, regardless of age, and was always willing to lend a helping hand. His kind and generous nature endeared him to all who knew him.”
The former reality star had “a passion for living life to the fullest” and “enjoyed driving RC cars, sky diving, shark diving, dirt bikes, flying his drone, driving ATVs, surfing and spending time in the ocean.” The obituary continued, “His adventurous spirit and love for excitement were evident in all aspects of his life.”
Fans first got to know Sean when he appeared on season 6 of 16 and Pregnant in 2021 alongside his ex, Selena Gutierrez. The episode followed the former couple as they prepared to welcome their eldest daughter, Dareli, in October 2020. Selena later gave birth to their second child, daughter Esmi, in June 2022 before they split.
During their time on TV, Selena’s mother sat down with Sean and her daughter to offer advice as they prepared for parenthood. “You all need to grow up within the next couple of days, you are babies having a baby,” she told the pair. “This baby came with a package, and that package is called responsibility.”
In addition to Mary and his daughters, Sean is survived by his sisters Shania, Lydia, Isabella, Ember, Kayden and Casslyn.
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