News for September, 2009

Rollover kills experienced ATV driver in Iowa

atv riverIowa’s Daily Register reported the death of 38-year-old Arthur John Rios, who died from injuries he sustained when his all-terrain vehicle rolled over last Thursday afternoon. According to investigators, Rios was driving a 2004 Polaris Sportsman 500 HD north along a wooded trail just south of Eldorado at the time of the accident. The apparently rolled off the trail and landed in the adjoining river.

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ATV rollover kills six-year-old Indiana girl

honda offroadAnother child was killed in an all-terrain vehicle rollover last weekend, this time a 6-year-old girl from Brownstown, a community in south central Indiana. According to the Tribune, a newspaper serving Jackson County, Indiana, the girl was a passenger on the back of a Honda 400 that was driving up a hill behind her home. Indiana Conservation officer Nathan Berry, who is investigating the accident, said that the girl was wearing a helmet when the accident occurred.

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Colorado man receives life-threatening injuries in ATV crash

colorado ATVA 48-year old man from Leadville, Colorado, was found unconscious and bleeding Tuesday after the all-terrain vehicle he was driving rolled about a mile and a half down the summit of Hagerman Pass in the Mt. Massive Wilderness Area near Aspen. According to the Aspen Times, a hunter called authorities from the top of the pass after finding Todd Shepherd lying unconscious on a road near the summit. The man is reported to have life threatening injuries, but the specific nature of his condition hasn’t been released.

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ATV accident claims the life of Ohio teen, seriously injures one other

ohio2 100x100An all-terrain vehicle accident claimed the life of 15-year-old high school student from University Heights, Ohio, a community east of Cleveland. A report by NBC affiliate WKYC in Cleveland said that Dan Murphy was riding on an with 3 other students from St. Ignatius High School, A preparatory school in Cleveland run by the Jesuits.

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ATV rollovers contribute to Nebraska farming injuries and deaths

farmer rhinoPrompted by the accidental death of a former Nebraska state senator and lifelong farmer, Omaha’s World-Herald published a report about the dangers of farming. The profession, which is a way of life in the rural state, is also one of the most dangerous in the United States, the World-Herald points out, thanks in part to all-terrain vehicles and their propensity to crash.

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ATV injuries skyrocketing in rural Canada

canadian offroaderAs in rural parts of the United States, all-terrain vehicles in rural Canada are becoming a way of life. Unhindered by wild, rugged landscapes, ATVs  for many seem like the perfect choice for hunting, trapping, farming, or just exploring and having fun trail blazing and off-roading. However, as the ATVs grow in popularity, so do the number of traumatic injuries reported by many hospitals. Sudbury Regional Hospital in northern Ontario, for instance, reports an explosion of -related trauma since 2007.

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Kentucky leads the nation in number of ATV deaths

ATV trainingA report on Nashville FOX affiliate WZTV’s website says a rash of motor vehicle accidents in Kentucky last week has left 15 people dead, and 4 of the victims were on all-terrain vehicles, according to Kentucky State Police. The latest deaths bring the total number of -related fatalities statewide to 14.

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Utah teenager injured on ATV urges others to wear helmets

Utah ATV crashAccording to the Utah Department of Health, “during the summer months (May through August), more children and young adults were hospitalized for injures (339) than were hospitalized for all forms of intentional injury (assault, gunshot, stabbing, etc. [224]).” One of those young adults, 19-year-old Morgan Olson, wants to use her own example to promote the importance of wearing a helmet when driving on or riding an all-terrain vehicle.

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ATV collision claims the life of North Carolina racing enthusiast

memorial for NC manOne of the most frustrating aspects of blogging about all-terrain vehicle rollovers and collisions is knowing that there are lots of good people out there right now enjoying their lives and planning their futures who won’t be here tomorrow – everyday people like 27-year-old Anthony Ritter of North Carolina, who died last week in an accident.

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ATV fatality calls attention to offroading safety in Nebraska

The untimely death of 21-year-old Brenda Strizek, a native of Valparaiso, Nebraska, who lost her life in an all-terrain vehicle accident on August 8, 2009, has called attention to the issue of safety in Nebraska. A few days after the accident, Lincoln’s Journal Star published an article entitled “ATV fun comes with risk,” highlighting the recreational and practical benefits of off-road vehicles, but also underscoring their dangers.

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