A Houston teenager is facing charges after an ATV accident that killed a 16 year-old girl. Reporting on 13MWAZ revealed that the teenager was recovering from his injuries and that the recovery process is likely to be a long one. The news station attempted to interview him, but family members cut the interview short.
The accident occurred on North Davis Drive, when the 17 year-old boy and the deceased 16 year-old girl were driving a dune buggy. The pair were making a turn onto Minick street and the reporting reveals that this is when the driver lost control. The accident occurred around 3:30 in the afternoon and both driver and passenger were thrown from the vehicle.
The passenger died in the hospital. Police believe that the driver made the turn too quickly, causing the wreck. There doesn’t appear to be any alcohol or drug use associated with the accident, but neither driver was wearing their seatbelt at the time of the crash.
ATVs are typically much slower than cars, of course, but they can still travel fast enough to cause deadly accidents. Compounded by not wearing a safety belt, making erratic or ill-advised maneuvers in these vehicles can quickly turn deadly. Many of them lack doors and windshields, which make them even more dangerous. Their small size and oversized engines mean that they can accelerate very quickly, creating a very real risk of injury or death for the operators.
These vehicles are sometimes found on regular roadways, and extra caution needs to be exercised by drivers around them and by the drivers of the ATVs themselves, as these can be particularly dangerous situations.
An ATV accident lawyer may be able to help victims of negligent ATV drivers by filing a lawsuit and helping them to win compensation.