2 Teenage girls just got in bad ATV accident ..being airlifted

[Sigarms]

I sincerely hope no one takes this the wrong way, but I hope Miss Young was driving the ATV.

My prayers go out to both the girls families, but I can't help but think "what if" Miss Young was the passenger and her friend has to live with this for the rest of her life. That can be a very hard burden to bear, no matter what age you are.

 

[ham]

Safety gear always. Don't worry about the invincibility part...that is already built in and they will never listen or learn from seeing pictures etc.

Park it if all rules are not followed. That they listen to.

Dads. Wear the gear. Kids do what Dads do. Everyonce in a while they listen to what their mothers say, but not if their Dads don't do it.

Seems like we just got the cars/trucks pretty good then we invent these things...drives me crazy to see adults drive around town at 30+ in their skivvies...real real stupid.

Take if from this Frontier ER doc...I have flown them and I have pronounced them...you can't go back.

 

[Ken45101]

Safety gear is no substitute for good sense and proper operation. If kids don't have good sense, then they shouldn't be allowed to operate equipment like this.

A helmet isn't going to do a whole lot of good for some kid operating an overloaded ATV at 40 or 50 mph on a road.

 

[ham]

Ken,

I can't stress this enough. Go the equipment first. Of course have the rules. But a kid alone can be counted on to follow the rules. Two kids together...all bets are off.

Back the rules with steel.

Wear your equipment Ken...I sense you don't.

So far every severe four wheeler event I have handled came with two young riders at once. We just had two girls almost the same age killed the same way when they ran into a barn in Glendive, MT. Sad day all over.
I have seen my share of bad singles, usually adults without gear.
I just had a Dad on his 250 going out to change the water on his irrigation do a face plant over the bars at about 15 mph....flown out and will have permanet brain damage...luck he was found as his face was jammed into the mud and he probably would have suffocated.

The reason we almost never see a severe Motocross accident is they have the gear...they are thrown off, run over, etc...yes they get hurt, but most of them heal and are alive. I have practiced 25 years of ER medicine and the worst accident from Motocross I have seen is a broken collar bone.

 

[AGGIE00]

Accidents happen and you can't protect everyone from everything. Yes gear would be smart, but it's not likely to happen. We used to play tag on quads running on and off county roads and through pastures and woods in shorts and a ballcap. We got our scrapes, but never a bad injury. The only difference between us and these girls is that maybe we were more capable of handling the machines we rode. I won't expect my girls to put on a helmet to ride around the property, but I also won't let them ride alone until I know they can handle the size of quad they are on.

 

[Sigarms]

Yes gear would be smart, but it's not likely to happen.

What's likely to happen is having your children meet the expectations you put forth. However, if you never put in the time and effort to lead by example and utilize different discipline strategies to take corrective measures, the chances of your expectations being met are slim.

Kid's learn from their parents, monkey see monkey do.

That, or tell your kid if they want to ride their ATV as they want to, to go out get a job, and buy their own.

I won't expect my girls to put on a helmet to ride around the property, but I also won't let them ride alone until I know they can handle the size of quad they are on.

That's part of the problem. Too many parents don't have expectations of their children.

 

[The Haymaker]

Dads. Wear the gear. Kids do what Dads do. Everyonce in a while they listen to what their mothers say, but not if their Dads don't do it.

Whaddaya mean?

 

[The Haymaker]

We got our scrapes, but never a bad injury. The only difference between us and these girls is that maybe we were more capable of handling the machines we rode.

Or luck....

 

[The Haymaker]

Ken,

I can't stress this enough. Go the equipment first. Of course have the rules. But a kid alone can be counted on to follow the rules. Two kids together...all bets are off.

Back the rules with steel.

Wear your equipment Ken...I sense you don't.

So far every severe four wheeler event I have handled came with two young riders at once. We just had two girls almost the same age killed the same way when they ran into a barn in Glendive, MT. Sad day all over.
I have seen my share of bad singles, usually adults without gear.
I just had a Dad on his 250 going out to change the water on his irrigation do a face plant over the bars at about 15 mph....flown out and will have permanet brain damage...luck he was found as his face was jammed into the mud and he probably would have suffocated.

The reason we almost never see a severe Motocross accident is they have the gear...they are thrown off, run over, etc...yes they get hurt, but most of them heal and are alive. I have practiced 25 years of ER medicine and the worst accident from Motocross I have seen is a broken collar bone.

Yes, gear helps in motocross, but many are in unbelievable physical condition. One of our state troopers just pile drived into the ground, doing his best lawn dart impersonation, at the local track. Right in front of his family. Broke three neck vertebrae and drove home before his wife convinced him to go to the hospital. Had someone in lesser physical shape done this.....

Gear, and physical conditioning and a fertilizer load of luck allow superhuman feats like this: 2011 Chad Reed Crash-Millville(Official Speed TV Feed) - YouTube

I spend some time on the quad with no helmet, BUT, I have learned the skill these kids have not. The ability to tell between "putter" and "raising ****" modes. Risky? Yes, but far different than letting two teenagers who have yet to have their self preservation gene kick in ride two-up or even one-up on a machine.

Would I consider doing this without gear: Emden Sand Hill II.m2t - YouTube

Not on my life.

 

[zmjc]

Some random ATV factoids for the slow-to-learn:

In 2006, serious injuries requiring emergency medical treatment was reported at 146,000, and that number rose to 150,900 in 2007.

One-third of all ATV-related fatalities reported and recorded between 1982 and 2002 were riders under the age of 16.

From 1999 to 2001, 698 recorded fatalities were attributed to ATV riders under the age of 19.


All this talk about rules, training, and physical fitness misses the main point. ATVs are lethally dangerous by design, and injure & kill a lot of people - particularly kids.

ATVs are obviously useful for maintaining your woodlot and such. But I don't have a lot of respect for people who keep them around so their over-pampered kids can drive real fast for big fun... it's just stupid.

- Mike