The 15-year-old brother of reality TV star Olivia Plath was killed on Thursday when a car hit him as he was riding his electric bike.
Micah Meggs died at the scene after he was struck by a Honda Accord on U.S. 220 in Franklin County, Virginia, The Roanoke Times reported.
The family said that Micah suffered from cerebral palsy, which was a result of an injury to the network of nerves in the shoulder, the brachial plexus, during birth.
Plath, 25, who stars in the Georgia-based family docuseries Welcome To Plathville, wrote on Instagram stories: ‘I lost a younger brother last night to an unexpected accident and I need some clarity and space for grieving.’
Olivia, who is married to Ethan Plath, 24, said she was ‘jumping off of social media for a bit’ and ‘taking some space now’ in the wake of the tragedy.
Her mother-in-law Kim Plath, matriarch of the reality TV family, lost her 17-month-old son Joshua in a car accident in 2008, when she ran him over on the family farm in Georgia.
Micah Meggs, in the orange t-shirt and baseball cap, is pictured with his siblings
Tragic: Welcome to Plathville’s Olivia Plath has revealed that her 15-year-old brother Micah Meggs was killed after he was struck by car while riding an electric bike Thursday
Meggs is seen playing in a river. His family said he loved being outdoors
In the incident, Meggs was in the right southbound lane on the route when he was struck by the vehicle.
The accident happened less than a mile north of Virginia 619.
The driver of the Honda did not suffer any injuries.
Micah is the ninth of Don and Karen Meggs’ 10 children.
He is survived by his parents, grandmothers, siblings Elijah, Joshua, Elise, Olivia, Lydia, Sophia, Nathan, Carris and Kirsten, and nieces and nephews, his family said in an obituary.
Micah was always seeking to spread joy to those close to him, according to his relatives.
‘Micah loved to hang out with his siblings and a few close friends, playing practical jokes, sharing his understated sense of humor and bringing laughs to those he loved,’ the family said.
Micah’s family said his ‘fun-loving and intrepid determination characterized his life.’
They said he ‘enjoyed spending his time outdoors hunting, fishing, camping and trapping, and became a skilled outdoorsman.’
The family added: ‘He enjoyed displaying his trophies and making video tutorials to teach others how to enjoy the life he loved.’
Micah is the ninth of Don and Karen Meggs’ 10 children, and enjoyed the outdoors, his family said
Micah Meggs, in a photo released by the family
Plath said she was ‘jumping off of social media for a bit’ and ‘taking some space now’ in the wake of the tragedy
Plath said Tuesday that she was ‘on a social media break due to a family death’
While his cerebral palsy ‘made it difficult for him to do the things he enjoyed so much,’ his family said, Micah ‘never complained or let himself be limited by his disability and continually found ways to pursue his outdoor activities despite this struggle.’
They added: ‘Micah brought tremendous light, laughter and love into every life he touched and his presence will be greatly missed.’
The family has requested, in lieu of flowers, donations to the United Brachial Plexus Network.
Welcome to Plathville debuted on TLC in 2019, featuring Olivia and Ethan, his eight siblings, and parents Barry and Kim Plath.
According to a show synopsis from TLC, the Plaths ‘are a blonde, blue-eyed family of 11 in southeastern Georgia’ who ‘share a passion for music, religion, family life and traditional roles.’
Barry and Kim Plath, like the Meggs, had 10 children – their 17-month-old-son Joshua died in a 2008 car accident.
Kim Plath was using her car to move fruit trees on their Georgia property, and did not see the baby.
‘I had just seen him and I thought it was okay,’ she said, in an episode that aired in 2019.
‘But I ran over him.’
She was also pregnant with her eighth child at the time.
The nine surviving siblings all feature on the show.
On a now-deleted family website, according to People, Kim Plath wrote that she was tortured by her baby son’s death.
‘I woke up every morning and functioned. But just barely. I wanted to die,’ she wrote.
‘My husband was dealing with losing his son and his wife. I was gone. Checked out. Unavailable for conversations or reality.
‘I thought of the accusations I would have thrown at Barry if the situation had been reversed.
‘He never did. He never even hinted at anything like that. He was strong. He just loved me.’
Kim and Barry Plath announced their intention to divorce last year, after 24 years of marriage.
‘After considerable thought and discussion, we have decided to end our marriage,’ they told People.
‘While this was not an easy decision, we know it’s the best choice for both of us. We have been through many highs and lows in our 24 years of marriage and as we navigate this new chapter in our lives, we will co-parent our amazing children.’
