Couple in ATV crash listed as critical
Neither wore helmets, unlike boy, 13, who escaped serious head injury in earlier mishap
Two serious ATV accidents in Western New York on Thursday provided graphic examples of the hazards of riding on an ATV without wearing a helmet.
A Lancaster couple in their late 40s were both listed in critical condition Friday following a Thursday night ATV crash. They weren’t wearing helmets, police said.
Five and a half hours earlier, a helmet helped prevent a more serious head injury for a 13-year-old Westfield boy in another ATV accident, Chautauqua County sheriff’s officials said.
Lancaster police responded to an 8:35 p. m. call after passers-by found two people lying on the pavement on Townline Road in Alden, with their ATV on top of them.
Hugh Graff, 48, the operator, and his wife, Barbara, 49, of Townline Road, Lancaster, were taken to Erie County Medical Center with head injuries, Hugh by Mercy Flight and Barbara by ambulance.
Police believe both hit their heads on the pavement.
They were listed in critical condition Friday night in the medical center’s Trauma Intensive Care Unit.
Police believe Hugh Graff lost control of the ATV while they were on their way home from a friend’s house. Neither of them was wearing a helmet, Lancaster police reported.
The serious injuries show the need for people to wear helmets while riding on motorcycles or ATVs, Lancaster Police Capt. Timothy R. Murphy said.
“If they had been wearing helmets, the injuries might not have been as serious as they were,” he said.
Lancaster police have conferred with the Erie County district attorney’s office about possible charges as they continue to investigate the case.
At about 3 p. m. Thursday, the 13-year-old Westfield boy struck an earth embankment while riding an ATV in a wooded area between Route 20 and Barber Road in Westfield. The ATV overturned, throwing the youth over the handlebars, before the vehicle overturned on top of the boy.
Chautauqua County sheriff’s officials have not released the name of the boy, who suffered a broken jaw in two places, a neck laceration and a separated shoulder. He was taken by Star Flight to Women and Children’s Hospital. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“It looks like the bike rolled over his head,” Sgt. Michael Williams of the sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit said. “I believe the helmet prevented a serious head injury.”
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