ATV accident Death and Injury Statistics - Georgia

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are designed for a single person to ride off-road. They are supposed to be used for recreational trail riding, and it’s illegal to ride them on paved streets. In recent years, however, there has been a flood of off-road vehicles on public streets in Georgia. ATV and dirt bike riders will sometimes gather in groups to travel on public roads which lead to accidents and arrests.

It is important to wear protective gear such as helmets, gloves, and goggles. Malfunctions and wrecks can lead to fires, explosions, serious injury, and even death. According to the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission, Georgia has experienced a total of 417 deaths due to ATV accidents between 1982 and 2015.

Georgia Girl Saves Little Sister From ATV Fire

Certain models of Polaris ATVs have been recalled due to a malfunction that can lead to a fire. In Georgia, Reese Elrod, 10, saved her 7-year-old sister’s life after their ATV caught fire. The girls were riding a Polaris RZR around the family’s property when the younger sister noticed her back was hot. Reese spotted flames and got herself and her sister out safely. Similar malfunctions have been reported across the country, resulting in first-, second-, and third-degree burns.

Serious Injuries

People can get seriously hurt from ATV accidents. There have been critical injuries such as head trauma or chest trauma. Riders should always wear helmets to lessen the chance of serious head injuries. The following ATV accidents that resulted in serious injuries.

  • June 2017, John Presilla wrecked the Can AM 1000 four-wheeler he was driving on a dirt road in Decatur County. The vehicle departed the road and collided head-on with a tree. Presilla was thrown from the ATV and had to be airlifted to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.
  • February 2007, James Green of Colquitt County lay underneath is overturned ATV for nearly 24 hours before a neighbor found him and called 911. Green was taken in critical condition to the Burn Center in Augusta. He had been driving his four-wheeler along railroad tracks near Sumner Road when he flipped his vehicle and rolled down a 30-foot embankment. The vehicle landed on top of him.

 

Accidental Deaths

In recent years, people have lost their lives from serious ATV wrecks. The four-wheelers are open topped and many do not have roll bars for protection. Riders can be ejected in an accident, and the vehicle can land on top of them leading to serious injury and death. The following are recent ATV-related deaths that have occurred in Georgia.

  • May 2017, Amber Norman, 31, was killed when the ATV she was riding over turned. The woman was from Colquitt County where she managed nursing programs for prison and jail inmates. Two other women were also involved in the accident and were treated at Colquitt Regional Hospital.
  • April 2017, an eight-year-old boy died from injuries sustained from crashing the Gator ATV he was driving on his family’s farm near Sonoraville.
  • September 2016, Steven Bolding, 43, died when the ATV he was driving rolled off an embankment. Bolding was riding his four-wheeler on his property in Cumming, GA. Emergency services who responded declared him dead at the scene.
  • August 2011, Nickolas Eugene Sellers, 32, of Carrollton, died after being thrown from a Suzuki four-wheeler that struck a utility pole. At the time of the crash, The 13-year-old son of Seller’s girlfriend had been illegally driving the vehicle with out a license on a public roadway. The boy suffered broken ribs, fractured wrists and major cuts and bruises.
  • March 2011, A 15-year-old boy died from injuries sustained when the four-wheeler he was riding crashed. According to police, the accident happened near the Floyd/Bartow county line.