Rodrick Thompson and nephew Ta’shaun Thompson had just moved from the south Alabama town of Foley to Forsyth County.
They lived together.
They played rugby together.
And on Monday, they died on the job together after a head-on collision on Atlanta Highway between a garbage truck and a dump truck.
New details released Tuesday indicate the garbage truck tipped over as Rodrick Thompson attempted a right turn, slid into the path of the dump truck and hit it.
The crash shut down Atlanta Highway for about three hours Monday.
Thomas Wirkner, the driver of the dump truck, was flown to an area hospital in critical condition after emergency crews rescued him from the vehicle, Forsyth sheriff’s Deputy Doug Rainwater said.
Rodrick Thompson, 38, and Ta’shaun Thompson, 21, died on the scene. Ta’shaun was a passenger in the garbage truck.
Both men worked for Allegiance Sanitation in Alpharetta, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Employees struggled with the deaths of two of their co-workers. A message on the company’s answering machine said they “lost two employees in a horrible wreck and are having a hard time with it.”
The Alpharetta Bulls recreational rugby team described their teammates as men who were dedicated to their families. Rodrick is the father of three children, according to Channel 2.
The team started an online campaign to raise money for them.
“Both were hardworking men who always had smiles on their faces,” the team said on the online YouCaring fundraising page. “They are leaving behind their families who loved them very much.”
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