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The mother of a youth killed in a collision between two motorbikes says neither rider was a boy racer and it was "a bit of fun which has gone horribly wrong".
Grief-stricken Carol Litchfield, the mother of Te Puke farm manager and father-of-one Coran Litchfield, 18, yesterday said "it was a freak accident. No one is to blame".
Mr Litchfield died when his Kawasaki motocross bike collided head-on with a mini pit-bike in Collins Lane about 9.15pm on Friday night.
The other rider - Jacob Day, 17, also from Te Puke - is in Tauranga Hospital with two broken legs, a broken jaw and internal injuries.
He is expected to have surgery this week.
Police have criticised the boys for riding the bikes - which are not permitted or designed for road use - because they were riding in the dark and neither bike was fitted with lights.
Senior Sergeant Ian Campion said the bikes did not comply with warrant of fitness standards and didn't have suitable road tyres.
"It's a tragedy but there's a message out there for all those kids who ride these sorts of bikes on the road - don't."
Mrs Litchfield said she and her husband wanted it made very clear that Jacob, who they had already spoken to, was not to blame for the crash.
"They may have had one or two drinks but they weren't drunk. It was no one's fault. It was just a freak accident."
She said the family were devastated.
"Our son was a pretty amazing cool guy who lived life to the full.
"He came into the world in a hurry and lived his life that way.
"Coran was so hard-working and he crammed so much into his short life, both work and play, [and] adored spending time with his three-year-old son, Hamish."
Mrs Litchfield said her son always had a cheeky grin and seemed to be always hungry.
His aunt, Mandy Litchfield, said she and her 16-year-old son Alex - who was at the crash scene when it happened - were still reeling.
"This is a very small community. Everyone is taking it very hard."
Alex said that he estimated the bikes' speed to be about 70km/h and thinks his cousin may have lost control in a dip in the tarseal in front of his own house.
Alex said he and Coran had gone to Auckland a week ago to collect his second-hand Kawasaki RX 250S and were testing it before he and their group of mates went out for the night.
Although he didn't see the two bikes collide, he heard the loud bang and saw the result - something he's "never going to forget".
Coran Litchfield's funeral will be held at the Te Puke Citizens Club on Thursday.
Bay of Plenty Times
