4 Children Injured In ATV Crash Loose Trailer

Children Injured In ATV Crash
Posted:
July 2, 2008 07:10 PM EDT

WATERTOWN, Tenn. - Four children are recovering from an ATV-related crash in Watertown.
The children were injured Tuesday when a couple pulled them in a trailer attached to an all-terrain vehicle.
The trailer came loose and flipped.
Investigators said the couple was traveling about 25 miles an hour.
Neighbors called for emergency responders.

"We was inside having lunch when the four wheeler came up with the six people," said Clark Beadle, a neighbor who lives near the crash site. "They was injured, hurt, hysterical and we called for help.

The children were 1-9 years old. Investigators said the youngest child suffered a serious skull injury. He was transported by medical helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The other three children sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

They are recovering at home.
ATV dealers said the couple broke several rules. They said these vehicles should not be used on

pavement. They also say that they should not be used to pull trailers with children in them.
The accident draws attention to the dangers of ATVs especially for children. In 2006, 555 people died in ATV accidents, according to the latest government studies. Twenty percent of those fatalities included children.

From 2003-2006, 120 people died in Tennessee in ATV-related incidents. That's the sixth most in the nation.
"We recommend everyone wear helmets when riding an ATV," said Ron Yearwood of Precision Motorsports.

Yearwood said he doesn't sell an ATV without talking about safety first.
While ATV's can be fun and useful, Yearwood said carrying kids behind a four wheeler on a trailer doesn't qualify as either.

"These things are designed to hold trailers, but obviously you shouldn't be hauling children in a trailer behind it," he said. "Just like you shouldn't have kids in the back of a pickup truck."
"Don't like to see kids on a trailer behind a four-wheeler. Common sense tells you that's not something that needs to be," Beadle said