The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPC) reports that from 1982 through 2016 there was an estimated total of 14,653 ATV-related fatalities. Of this number, 3,232, or 22% of all ATV deaths were children younger than 16. Because of this, the federal agency recommends that ATVs not be operated by anyone under the age of 16. The CPC also advises that ATV drivers wear protective gear such as helmets, gloves, and long-sleeved shirts when operating these vehicles.
AZ Family reported on a recent ATV accident that has left one 10-year-old boy dead and another 9-year-old boy injured on the afternoon of Saturday, April 20th in Phoenix.
Phoenix Police say the accident happened in the area of 16th Avenue and Broadway Road when Thomas Martinez, 10, crashed the ATV he was driving into a parked pickup truck.
Both boys were rushed to the hospital. Thomas Martinez died of injuries he sustained in the accident. Authorities say that the second boy is in serious but stable condition.
Phoenix police Sgt. James Rothschild said in a statement that the pickup truck was legally parked along the roadside and investigators are uncertain how the accident occurred. Investigators on the case are asking any witnesses with any further information about the tragic crash to contact police.
