ATV Crashes Prompts Warning From Maine Wardens
CARIBOU, Maine (AP) — Game wardens in Maine are calling for a renewed focus on safety in the wake of several all-terrain vehicle crashes involving children.
The wardens say they responded to a crash in Caribou on the Fourth of July that injured two 14-year-old boys and a 4-year-old boy. They say none of the boys involved in the crash were wearing helmets, but they were wearing seatbelts.
Wardens say another holiday crash resulted in injuries to a Connecticut man in Frenchtown Township. Still another crash, in Burnham on Thursday, resulted in injuries to a 15-year-old and a 25-year-old.
Wardens tell WMTW-TV that yet more incidents were reported on Thursday. They're calling for ATV users to wear protected headgear and operate the vehicles at safe speeds.
UPDATED, July 6th:
UTV roll-over accident Friday evening in St. Agatha sent 6 juveniles to the hospital with injuries. An 11-year-old was in critical condition and airlifted to Halifax.
The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office said a 14-year-old girl was driving a Polaris UTV when it rolled over on Pelletier Island, St. Agatha around 7 pm Friday. Four juveniles riding in the rear dump body were ejected from the ATV side-by-side. The driver and another rider sustained injuries. All 6 occupants were taken by ambulance to Edmunston Regional Hospital with injuries.
An 11-year-old girl was listed as critical and flown to Halifax with serious injuries, said the Sheriff’s Office.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Police said none of the occupants were wearing helmets or seatbelts, and it appears speed & driver inexperience are major factors in the accident.
This story will be updated.