ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Brendon Courson, 27, was killed after speeding and losing control of his motorcycle Saturday morning in St. Petersburg, authorities said.
The St. Petersburg Police Department said the crash happened on North Gandy Boulevard, and no one else was injured.
"My wife had wrote a note saying, 'My son, Brendon, was an amazing son and a beautiful young man. He made a really bad mistake. He lost his life,'" said James DeRusha, Courson's step-dad.
He said there's a lesson to be learned and urged others to think twice before hitting the road.
On Saturday, DeRusha said he knew something was wrong and had four missed calls from Bayfront Hospital.
"When I saw that [the missed calls], my heart dropped because he had just bought that motorcycle," he said.
Five weeks before the crash, Courson had his bike for the first time. DeRusha said high speed caused him to lose control and be thrown off the motorcycle.
"The neurologist told me within the first five minutes of walking into the emergency room that there's nothing they could do," he said.
Four days after the crash, Courson's family found out his life would continue in the form of saving the lives of others.
"My wife called me and said Brendon is going to be able to save five lives. She said his lungs, his heart, his liver and his pancreas are going to be donated. I kind of lost it and started crying again," DeRusha said.
Now, five people will live longer because of his organ donations.
"His legacy is going to save people's lives," DeRusha said.
The family said they still don't know who Courson's organs will go to but want to reach out and hopefully meet one of them in the future.