Welcome to Plathville star Olivia Plath's younger brother Micah Meggs died on Thursday after a car hit the electric bike he was riding. He was just 15 years old. 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 had cerebral palsy which was a result of birth trauma to the brachial plexus, a network of nerves in the shoulder. Olivia, who is also a wedding photographer and 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.
Tragic Death
Plath, 25, who stars in the Georgia-based family docuseries Welcome To Plathville, wrote on Instagram stories: "Hey guys, I'm jumping off of social media for a bit. Don't worry if you don't see me around — I'm taking some space now," the TLC reality star, 25, wrote last week via her Instagram Story, according to Us Weekly.
"I lost a younger brother last night to an unexpected accident and I need some clarity and space for grieving."
Meggs was reportedly struck by a Honda Accord that was allegedly moving in the same lane and direction as him around 10 pm, according to Franklin County news source The Roanoke Times. At the time, Meggs was riding his electric bicycle in the right lane of a busy roadway.
The accident took place less than a mile north of Virginia 619.
The Honda driver did not sustain any injuries. Meggs is the ninth of Don and Karen Meggs' 10 children.
According to his family's obituary, Meggs is survived by his parents, grandmothers, siblings Elijah, Joshua, Elise, Olivia, Lydia, Sophia, Nathan, Carris, and Kirsten, as well as nieces and nephews.
Family Devastated
He was remembered by his family as a "fun-loving" kid who "enjoyed spending his time outdoors" and "playing practical jokes, sharing his understated sense of humor, and bringing laughs to those he loved," according to his obituary.
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."
"Despite the physical difficulties he experienced, Micah never complained or let himself be limited by his disability," his loved ones shared, asking for donations to the United Brachial Plexus Network (UBPN) "in lieu of flowers."
"Micah brought tremendous light, laughter and love into every life he touched and his presence will be greatly missed," the family added.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for contributions to the United Brachial Plexus Network.
Welcome to Plathville premiered on TLC in 2019 and included Olivia, Ethan, his eight siblings, and Barry and Kim Plath.
The Plaths, a blonde, blue-eyed family of 11, live in southeastern Georgia, where they "share a passion for music, religion, family life, and traditional roles," according to a TLC show synopsis.
Like the Meggs, Barry and Kim Plath had 10 children. Their 17-month-old son Joshua was killed in a vehicle accident in 2008.
Kim Plath was driving her car to move some fruit trees on their Georgia property when she failed to notice the infant.
"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."
At the time, Kim was also expecting her eighth child. All nine of the surviving siblings appear on the show.
Kim and Barry Plath divorced last year, after 24 years of marriage.
