PALATKA, Fla. — One Putnam County family that spoke with Action News Jax didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving this year.
Their table now has an empty seat after the death of their loved one in a motorcycle crash last week.
The family of 21-year-old Michael Terry is identifying him only to Action News Jax as the man killed at the intersection of SR-19 and Horseman Club Road in Palatka last week. His mother, Stephanie, told us he was three miles from her house when she found out he wouldn’t come home again.
“It’s hard, it’s been really hard,” Stephanie Friend said, “I’ve been angry, hurt, crying, not realizing that this is real.”
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The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened right before 8:00 PM on November 16th. FHP’s news release from the crash said a man on a motorcycle, identified as Terry, was driving on Horseman Club Road when he pulled out onto SR-19 and into the path of an SUV that ended up hitting the back of the motorcycle. FHP said the man died in the crash.
Terry’s mother described him to us as a pure soul, someone who loved making music, spending time with his family, and riding motorcycles, the last thing he did before he died.
“Who is supposed to be prepared for this? To deal with the loss of their child? They are supposed to bury us,” said Friend.
Action News Jax looked at motorcycle crash data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and found that four more people across northeast Florida have died in motorcycle crashes this year, compared to last year. We also found that 2025 has been the deadliest year for motorcycle drivers in our area since 2021.
Friend said the pain of her son’s life being taken away has made it too difficult to try and have Thanksgiving with family. She told us her father died in 2018, her mother died in 2020, and her brother died in 2021, from COVID. She said she’s tired of and hurt by losing her loved ones.
“At this point, the only reason I’m doing Christmas is because of my grandkids,” said Friend, “I don’t even want to do anything this year, I’d feel guilty if I did.”
Action News Jax has requested the full report of last week’s crash, but we are still waiting to receive it. Friend has started a fundraiser to help pay for her son’s funeral services, which, if you would like to support, you can find at the link here.
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