ROCKLEDGE, Fla. – Friends and family are grieving the loss of 21-year-old Elijah Kit, who died in a motorcycle crash over the weekend just days before Christmas.
Loved ones say they hope to honor his life and legacy.
Christopher Sheehan says Kit was the type of friend who would always be there for someone and had a loving personality.
“(Kit) was the type of person who would give you the shirt off his back when no one was there. He always had a big goofy smile, like it was second nature,” said Sheehan.
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According to Rockledge police, the crash happened Saturday when Kit was heading southbound on Fiske Boulevard “clocked at over 100 mph.” Police say the motorcycle crashed into a Viera man who was heading west into the Phillips Landing Subdivision. The condition of the Viera man remains unknown.
Police also say it is unclear whether the crash was the result of road rage or a racing incident.
Kit’s friend, known as “Smiley,” says the 18-year-old female motorcycle passenger hurt in the crash was Kit’s girlfriend, who is currently recovering in the hospital.
“We heard when his girlfriend woke up, she was saying something about the possibility of a Mustang or something chasing him,” Smiley said. “They both had helmets on. When they hit, they came off on impact. She went over the car a couple of hundred feet and I guess her helmet came off during the impact.”
Sheehan, along with others in their friend group, shares a passion for motorcycles. They say it is heartbreaking that they are now in the process of planning a memorial:
“It hurts. I talked to his grandma last night and they’re questioning if they want to celebrate Christmas anymore.”
Another one of Kit’s friends, Mark Clunis, says the loss is being felt throughout the biker community.
“It’s a tragic loss to the biker community,” he said.
Friends say they hope no one else, whether on a motorcycle or in a car, will lose their life this holiday season.
“I know everyone has a negative stigma towards us (motorcyclists) but we are not all bad people, we are still people,” Smiley said.
Kit’s family has since established an online fundraiser for funeral expenses and medical bills.
On Friday, the group plans to hold a memorial bike meet in Kit’s honor, starting at 5 p.m. in Melbourne and followed by a memorial event later that night in Titusville.