Dustin Brown, 24, died Thursday, Jan. 2, following a motorcycle crash on Dec. 15 in Thomas County.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — A motorcycle ride in support of a Moultrian recovering from a motorcycle wreck will now be held in memoriam after Dustin Brown died Thursday.

The “Ride for Dustin” will be held Jan. 18 starting at 11 a.m. It’ll run from the Tifton Harley Davidson to Pine Grove Baptist Church in Moultrie where a lunch will be served to allow friends and family to commune.

Friends are organizing the benefit “to help say goodbye” and support his family.

Brown, 24, died Thursday, Jan. 2, from severe injuries dealt in a Thomas County motorcycle accident Dec. 15. 

According to the Georgia State Patrol report, Brown was traveling south on Patterson Still Road, just north of Parramore Road. He attempted to round a right curve, veered onto the east shoulder and overturned.

The motorcycle struck the ditch on its right side then overturned side over side. The vehicle crossed the ditch then came back before coming to an uncontrolled rest on its left side.

Brown was taken for treatment to Archbold Memorial Hospital, the GSP said. 

He was found with nine broken ribs and punctured lungs, according to his friend, Jon Curl. It was 11 days before Brown would make a move to Emory Main Campus in Atlanta for better care, Curl said.

His parents were by his side every step of the way.

But Brown took a turn for the worse and died at Emory Thursday.

“They couldn’t get his oxygen correct,” Curl said, referencing the punctured lung.

The ride was always scheduled for Jan. 18, but “in memoriam” wasn’t always its moniker. The original purpose was to support in hopes of getting better. Now, it’s about support and remembrance.

And sure enough, Curl does remember his friend.

“He was a great guy [and] he’d give you the shirt off his back,” Curl said. “He was very shy until you got to know him. Once you broke through his shell, he’d talk your ears off and do anything for you.”

Curl remembered a time where his daughter had wrecked her car and he couldn’t get to her in time. So, he made a quick call to Brown and, shortly after, he was on the scene.

“I was an hour away, he was 10 minutes away. All I did was pick up the phone, tell him to go and he went. He didn’t ask questions,” Curl said. “He did everything for everybody.”

All street legal vehicles are welcome in the “Ride for Dustin.” Participants must pay $15 per vehicle and $5 per passenger — excluding the driver — at the ride. 

All proceeds will go to the family at the end of the ride to cover hospital and funeral costs as well as loss of wages for Brown’s parents.

For more information, call Curl at 229-646-2984 or Josh at 229-454-5730.