Canton father killed, 13-year-old son injured in Abington crash

CANTON, Mass. — A Canton father was killed and his 13-year-old son was critically injured when a car struck their motorcycle in Abington earlier this month.

On Nov. 7, an unseasonably warm November day, Kevin Gibbons, 62, was riding his motorcycle on Rte. 18, with his son Brady Gibbons on the back. State police tell Boston 25 News shortly after 2 p.m., the driver of a Volkswagen Passat taking a left turn struck their bike.

Both father and son were rushed to South Shore Hospital with traumatic brain injuries, said Laurie Baldi, longtime friend of Brady’s mother Julie Whalen.

“Brady had been responding pretty well to the surgery itself,” Baldi said. “But Kevin, on the other hand, was not. He was going to have a bigger fight. Really, none of us thought at that moment that that meant that he would pass away.”

But Kevin’s injuries were too much. He died the next day, after Brady had been transported to Boston Children’s Hospital to continue his recovery there.

“It’s shocking when I see a picture of him. You have to say, ‘I can’t believe he’s gone.’ It’s just, it’s crazy, it’s really difficult,” said an emotional Baldi, adding that Gibbons was a great father to his children. “Really good dad. Spent a lot of a time with Brady, was his baseball coach. [He was] at all his baseball games.”

As family and friends grieve, they are grateful for the tremendous steps Brady is making in his recovery. While he initially was on a ventilator, he is now able to breathe on his own and has been speaking in a whisper to his mom at his bedside, Baldi said.

“Just really thankful that his progress has been amazing. It’s really amazing,” Baldi said. “It took about two weeks, and the swelling and stuff started to stabilize, and then they could do tests. It seemed right from that point, everything kept getting better.”

Baldi said Kevin and Brady were wearing helmets at the time of the accident and were always safe on the road.

As police continue to investigate the accident, it is unclear if the operator of the Passat will face charges, state police said. Kevin and Brady’s family are eager to get some answers, Baldi said.

Abington police did not respond to Boston 25′s requests for information about the accident Monday.

“We keep saying, ‘How did it happen?’” Baldi said. “Did Kevin know it was coming and do something to spare Brady?”

Brady will continue his treatment at the hospital before being transferred to a rehab in the future to continue his recovery.

Classmates, friends and family members have sent heartfelt notes and pictures on a Facebook page called “Notes for Brady.”

Meanwhile, the community has stepped up to help the family financially, donating more than $50,000 in a GoFundMe account to make sure Julie doesn’t have to worry about rent or her son’s medical bills as she focuses on Brady’s recovery.

“I think just having peace of of mind and knowing she doesn’t have to worry about it is huge,” Baldi said.

To help Julie and Brady, you can donate here.

Cox Media Group