The cause of death of 16 and Pregnant star Sean Garinger has been revealed, nearly five months after he died in a horrific ATV accident at age 20.
Garinger was featured on the sixth season of the MTV show with his ex Selena Gutierrez, 20, when they welcomed their two children, Dareli, three, and Esmi, one.
He died on February 28 in an ATV accident in Boone, North Carolina, after the vehicle he was driving overturned in the driveway of his home. Garinger suffered severe head injuries.
His official cause of death is blunt force trauma to the head, according to the coroner’s office in Raleigh, NC, per TMZ.
The documents show that Garinger’s skull was “fractured in multiple places.”
16 and Pregnant star Sean Garinger’s cause of death has been revealed – nearly five months after he died in a horrific ATV accident at age 20
He was seen on MTV with ex Selena Gutierrez and their two children, Dareli and Esmi
In March, Garinger’s mother called her late son her “rock” and her “strength” as she confirmed his heartbreaking death.
“There was a huge part of my heart that died Wednesday with my son. He was my only son, my rock, my strength when I had none left,” Mary Hobbs said The sun.
Garinger appeared in front of MTV’s cameras in Part B of the show’s sixth season, where Gutierrez was one of five pregnant teens whose motherhood was chronicled on the program.
His mother told The US Sun about the circumstances of the tragic accident, which left Garinger’s skull “shattered”.
Hobbs said, “He just moved [the ATV] from one parking space to another for me so I could back in. He pulled [in] “I walked past in front of me to park the ATV and the ground caved in from the rain and mud.”
Hobbs said her son suffered serious head injuries when the ATV overturned.
She added, “I ran to the neighbors to try to find someone to help me get the ATV off of him. No one answered the door. I ran back to him. By that time I realized he was dead.”
Hobbs said she was lying on the ground “next to” her son before paramedics arrived on the scene.
She told the outlet, “There was a huge part of my heart that died on Wednesday with my son. He was my only son, my rock, my strength when I didn’t have one anymore.”
According to his mother, Garinger planned to buy a vehicle to visit his daughters, who live with their mother and grandmother in Fountain, Colorado.
Hobbs told the newspaper that she and Garinger had visited a car dealership in the hours leading up to the fatal incident and had planned to return, but that they “never made it back to the dealership.”
She said her late child “loved to spontaneously jump in the car for a road trip or a session at the beach” and that they “bonded over music, fast cars, shooting and experiencing new adventures.
“Sean lit up my world in a way that no one could ever match. He was my baby boy, my squishy, my heartbeat.”
The ATV landed on top of Garinger as he attempted to move him and he crashed down an embankment, the sheriff’s office said.
Garinger appeared in front of MTV’s cameras in the show’s sixth season
Major Kelly Redmon of the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office told the Watauga Democrat On March 1, Watauga Medics and the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office reported that they had responded to the fatal accident and identified Garinger as the victim.
The ATV landed on top of Garinger as he tried to move him and then crashed down the slope, the sheriff’s office told the newspaper.
“Our hearts are heavy with sorrow for the loss suffered by the victim’s family and loved ones,” the WCSO said in a news release.
According to an obituary posted by Austin & Barnes Funeral HomeGaringer, affectionately known as “Squishy,” was a military kid who changed lives across the country.
“He never knew a stranger, regardless of age, and was always ready to lend a helping hand. His kind and generous nature endeared him to all who knew him.”
The obituary stated that Garinger “had a passion for living life to the fullest” and that “his adventurous spirit and love of excitement were evident in all aspects of his life.”
“He enjoyed driving RC cars, skydiving, shark diving, dirt biking, flying his drone, riding ATVs, surfing, and spending time in the ocean.”
A memorial service was held for him on Saturday at the Austin & Barnes Funeral Home.
Gutierrez was one of five pregnant teens whose motherhood journey was documented in the program
Garinger planned to buy a vehicle to visit his daughters, who live with their mother in Colorado, his mother said.
The MTV show highlighted the feud between Garinger and Gutierrez during her first pregnancy, as she was convinced he had been unfaithful to her.
A family source told The US Sun that Garinger and Gutierrez had been separated for more than a year and had recently been dating others.
Garinger “literally visited Selena’s family a week before he died because he had come to Colorado to visit his daughters,” the source said, adding that Gutierrez was “not in a good mood” following her ex’s death.
Garinger was “doing well” in the time leading up to his death and “wanted to finish school,” with an eye on a career as a welder, the source said.
According to the obituary, Garinger is survived by his daughters Dareli and Esmi, mother Mary, and sisters Shania, Lydia, Isabella, Ember, Kayden and Casslyn.