ATVs claim 2 lives in 4 accidents
Deaths, injuries prompt warnings
No one can remember a deadlier period for local all-terrain vehicle operators.
Two people — a 14-year-old boy and a 52-year-old man — lost their lives in separate ATV accidents in southern Erie County.
On Tuesday, a 5-year-old boy was cut on the arm by glass when he slammed a go-kart — technically an ATV— into a garage door, Erie County sheriff’s officials added.
And two days earlier, a 6-year-old boy suffered non-life-threatening injuries in another ATV accident.
“I have never seen this many ATV accidents in this short a time,” said acting Sgt. Martin Bronisz, who heads the sheriff’s Special Services Unit. “It happened, and we’re trying to deal with it.”
Sheriff’s officials say the four accidents provide plenty of lessons about ATV safety, including the importance of wearing a helmet, supervising young children and making sure riders know the trails and ride together.
At about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, a go-kart operated by Collin Renaldo, 14, of North Collins, struck a chain across the driveway of a neighbor’s seasonal home on Shir-
ley Road in North Collins.
The boy, who suffered a severe neck injury, was taken by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Sheriff’s officials said that a go-kart fits the legal definition of an ATV: any vehicle shorter than 70 inches, weighing less than 1,000 pounds and usually operated off-road.
The other fatal accident took the life of Timothy J. Weber, 52, whose body was found shortly after 8 p. m. Tuesday under his ATV in a ravine near his Genesee Road home in Concord.
An autopsy determined that he died from asphyxiation, sheriff’s officials said.
A relative had called the Erie County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday evening to report that Weber had not returned after leaving home on his ATV on Sunday morning.
Authorities say they believe that ATV accidents usually claim about three to five lives each year in Western New York, often in the most rural areas of southern Erie County and surrounding counties.
“It was extraordinary to us to respond to two fatal ATV accidents in one day,” said Scott
R. Patronik, the sheriff’s chief of Special Services.
At about 1:25 p. m. Tuesday, the ATV operated by the 5-year-old Holland boy struck the wooden garage door on a relative’s property. A pane of glass from the door landed on him, cutting his arm.
The boy was taken by Air One, the sheriff’s helicopter, to Women and Children’s Hospital with what authorities called non-life-threatening injuries.
Sunday night, a 6-year-old boy lost control of his 90cc ATV on a jump, apparently while trying to adjust an improperly fitting or unlatched helmet in his family’s backyard on Route 438 in Brant.
He also was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening.
“With the fall and winter approaching, many people enjoy using recreational vehicles,” Patronik said. “We’d like to remind everyone to respect those vehicles and operate them in a safe manner.”
Sheriff’s officials mentioned several lessons that can be taken from these accidents:
• The need for helmets.
“The people involved in the two fatalities were not wearing helmets,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Joslyn of the Accident Investigation Unit.
While Joslyn was quick to note that he wasn’t speculating that helmets could have saved either life, he did compare them to seat belts in a car.
“We know that seat belts minimize injuries and save lives,” he said. “The same thing is true with helmets. It should be second nature when you get on an ATV to put on a helmet.”
• The need for parental supervision.
Three of the four accidents this week involved children.
“Instead of riding a bicycle, kids can ride a 50cc ATV capable of going 25 to 30 mph,” Bronisz said. “If you’re going to be a responsible parent, you’ve got to train them, ride with them and teach them the rules.”
• Knowing the area and riding with a friend.
Investigators say they wonder whether Weber, the man whose ATV landed on top of him at the bottom of the ravine, might have had a chance to survive if someone had accompanied him.
• Respecting the power and speed of faster ATVs.
“The manufacturers are making them bigger and faster, and I see less respect for the dangers and abilities of these machines,” Joslyn said.
• Being properly trained. Patronik suggested that people sign up for ATV and snowmobile safety courses, available by contacting the Sheriff’s Office or local recreational-vehicle clubs or dealers.
