ATV collision claims the life of North Carolina racing enthusiast
September 15th, 2009 by Kurt Niland
One 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 ATV accident.
Friends of Ritter told the Gaston Gazette that he was always smiling, that he would never part with his ragged Old Navy cap, that he had an appetite for double cheeseburgers and was seldom seen without a Pepsi. He was someone we all know. To a 4-year-old girl named Lily, he was Dad.
Ritter was driving an ATV less than a mile from his home near High Shoals, N.C. on Tuesday, September 8. He attempted to pass another ATV driven by 20-year-old Jackson Depietro, resulting in a collision that caused both vehicles to wreck.
Ritter’s passenger, 15-year-old Michelle King, and Depietro received treatment at a local hospital and have since been released. Ritter was thrown from the vehicle and hit the ground, receiving a severe head injury. He was transported to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, where he died on Friday.
According to the NC Highway Patrol, none of the three were wearing helmets, required by state law unless the vehicle is being used for farming, hunting or trapping.
The Gaston Gazette reported that Ritter was a car racing enthusiast who would spend his free time at the local track and racing events. After he became a father, however, he gave up his favorite hobby to spend as much time as he could with his daughter. Rather than racing cars, Ritter became a spectator, and he would often take Lily to the speedway to watch the races.
“She loved to go out to the dirt track and watch races with him,” Ritter’s wife Hope told the Gaston Gazette. “That was one of their hobbies.”
East Lincoln Motor Speedway, where Anthony was a regular, held a memorial for him during its weekend races. A video of the memorial can be viewed online at YouTube.