Snell

Austen Tyler Snell didn't care who was around him when he spoke with his mom on the phone.

"He always ended phone calls with: 'I love you, miss you. Bye,'" said Snell's mother, Roxine Snell.

But Roxine Snell won't hear those words anymore from her son.

Austen Snell of Conewago Township died Saturday at York Hospital from injuries he sustained in a motorcycle crash more than a week ago. He was 21.

Roxine Snell said since the crash, her son's friends have shown an outpouring of support.

"People are calling every day and asking what they can do," she said. "He had so truly devoted friends."

Crash: Austen Snell was riding southbound on Interstate 83, about 640 feet west of Loucks Mill Road, at 12:03 a.m. April 14 when he laid down his Kawasaki while negotiating a curve in Manchester Township.

He was thrown off the bike and went about 100 feet before stopping, state police said.

A Ford pickup truck traveling behind Austen Snell then ran over the motorcycle, veered right and did a 180-degree turn while dragging the bike underneath it, police said.

The pickup struck a concrete median and both it and the motorcycle caught on fire, troopers said.

The truck was driven by Kenneth McCulloch, 52, of Marshall, Va. He was wearing a seat belt and wasn't hurt, troopers said.

Austen Snell was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

He died of head trauma, according to the York County Coroner's Office. No autopsy is planned.

Caring: Roxine Snell said she'll remember her son as a man who liked driving and working on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and cars. He also enjoyed fishing and spending time outdoors. But what she'll remember most was his caring spirit.

No long ago, Austen Snell dropped some money on the ground, and a man he didn't know gave it back to him. Seeing the man was in need of some cash, Austen Snell gave the money to him as a "reward" for being honest, Roxine Snell said.

Even in death, Austen Snell is helping others. He was an organ donor.

"Because of his giving, six people have the chance to live again and two others will have the gift of sight," Roxine Snell said.

- Reach Greg Gross at 505-5434, ggross@yorkdispatch.com, or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/greggrss.