ATV driver dies after crash with lawn tractor

[charlz]

As to the ATV rider, it is tragic that so many of them die or are seriously injured every year. The great majority of ATV deaths happen with no other vehicles involved. They totally under-estimate how dangerous the machines are, or over-estimate their ATV skills; take your pick.

I think it is mostly under-estimation. The four wheels make it very stable and easy to ride. People with little to no skill can ride them. They weigh a lot and you tend to stay on them during the crash which compounds injuries. Here is a great example: YouTube - Reporter Crashes ATV

 

[Scooby074]

Here's my 2 cents. "early morning" usually means 1-5am, which means they where drunk still Saturday night (technically sunday morning) together horsing around on motorized vehicles with no helmets or common sense (usually lost by large amounts of alcohol) in the dark and one friend/acquaintance ran into the other and ended in disaster. Sad but true.

I bet thats what happened.

Probably in someones yard, not on the street. When i was younger it could have been me or my friends. Anything with a motor was fair game.

 

[dave1949]

I think it is mostly under-estimation. The four wheels make it very stable and easy to ride. People with little to no skill can ride them. They weigh a lot and you tend to stay on them during the crash which compounds injuries. Here is a great example: YouTube - Reporter Crashes ATV

Could be. Ever walk (maybe 3 mph?) into something solid with your head and get a goose egg? Then think about 15 mph into a tree trunk, helmet or not, that's gonna hurt. It would be easy to do yourself in - even at what probably feels like not much speed at all.
Dave.

 

[orezok]

Isn't that the truth!!! If it does not have the victims and villians, it is all about doom and gloom.

Even though I live far out in the desert, Los Angeles is my "local" stations on the dish. All the LA stations cover is "fuzz" and "was"! It's pathetic.

 

[charlz]

It would be easy to do yourself in - even at what probably feels like not much speed at all.

And a lot of the machines are powerful, you can go from 3mph to 45mph in not much time at all as that reporter so aptly demonstrated.

 

[studor]

Local accident -- party got a bit "out of control". Alcohol definitely involved. For whatever reason, lawnmower man was charged with drunken operation of a motor vehicle. Charge is public record, the rest is not untill after the trial -- the newspapers are telling you what they are allowed to tell. Tragedy of young man s death from what was avoidable is just reinforcement of the dont combine alcohol and gasoline.
This week another medical report was published locally on ATV's. Seems like unsupervised kids are riding them and seriously injuring or killling themselves -- and this took research

 

[Transit]

Details are still a bit lacking but I have found out the following regarding the original news article.

The accident happened about 3:30 AM.
That day/night a group of about 10 friends, including the ATV driver, visited a few clubs.

That confirms my suspicions, no mention in the story if the ATV driver had been drinking. Chalk it up to miss adventure on the ATV driners part. All fools.

 

[Hawghauler]

Hold my beer and watch this!

 

[TGF]

No, Lawn Mower Man isn't in trouble for being in an accident. He's in trouble because he was driving a "motor vehicle" while impaired (and yes, a ride on lawn tractor is classified as a motor vehicle) ...the accident was just what brought his state of impairment to the attention of the police who responded to it.

I suspect he might be in a lot of trouble, but it's hard to say. If a prosecutor can convince a jury or a judge that because he was impaired, he wasn't legally supposed to be out there in the first place, and therefore he is at fault for the accident (it wouldn't have happened if he wasn't there). If that happens, he might be in for a load of grief.
If the decease's family sue for wrongful death, LWM's insurance company will probably refuse to indemnify him because he was driving while impaired.

Love the Avatar Mace, also love Trailer Park Boys, good old Bubbles.

 

[merrickvilleguy]

They were drunk at 3:45 am looking for their dog ... drunk driving is drunk driving. They are both at fault.

I mean driving an atv offroad at night is dangerous enough (especially at speed) ... let alone without a helmet ... and worse when drunk ...

It's a dog ... it will get found or find its way home ... either way, is something to deal with in the morning.

The atv driver died as a result of the stupidity.