Concerned Families for ATV Safety offers a voice to families whose children
were killed or injured on an ATV - to acknowledge the reality of our
loss and bring that reality to a society numbed by statistics.
Let our children's stories reach other
families so they won't have to say what so many of us say, "if
I had only known."
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Kyle Rabe
Contact Sue Rabe (Oregon)
Our names are Sue and Tom Rabe. Our son was killed on a four wheeler.
We live in a rural area of Oregon and most of our neighbors have
acreage. It’s not uncommon for kids to visit each other by
riding ATVs on a network of dirt and gravel roads and through farmers’ fields.
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Alex Ellert
(Ohio) Alex had left to go camping and was to return on Sunday evening.
At about 6:00 p.m. I got a phone call that would change my life
forever. The "phone call" that every mother hopes she
will never receive. The hysterical voice on the other end of the
line told me that Alex had been killed from injuries he received
while riding an adult size ATV.
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James Anderson
Contact Carolyn
Anderson (Massachusetts)
James was by all accounts an exceptional child. His friend Mike wrote
of him in a memory book. ”You taught me a lot, even if you
didn’t realize it. You taught me of life, of nature and of
purity.” James was so happy, so gifted, so kind and honest.
It’s just impossible that all he was ended on a rainy morning
in August.
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Jessica Adams
Contact Jennifer Martin
(Florida)
Jessica was a beautiful, shining star to everyone she knew, including
her boyfriend, who would later become one of her pall-bearers. Jessica
loved to swim, dance, sing, and hang out with her friends. Two weeks
after the thirteenth birthday party I threw for her, she and another
girl were going too fast on a neighbor's ATV and hit a tree.
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Murphy Nichols
(Idaho) I have 3 boys and 3 girls. My family and I were avid atv riders.
We own 5 atvs. A suzuki 80, a 250 trail boss, a 400 scrambler,
a 425 magnum and a 700 sportsman. My husband and I have rode atvs
for 11 years. My husband and Murphy were up camping and we were
going to meet them in 2 days.
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Tommy Brookshire
(California) We lost our Tommy in May of 95. Almost ten years ago. We were at
a friend's home and someone had brought a three wheeler. The kids
were excited to try and my husband rode the two girls first, just
around the yard. Tommy, a good sized 12 year old, was too big to
ride double with his dad, so he asked us both if he could try it.
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Mikey Brugger
Contact Alexis Kingkiner (Pennsylvania)
My name is Alexis, my husband Danny and I lost our son Mikey on an
atv on July 9th 2005. Our lives as well as our families lives have
never been the same since that day. Daniel is Mikey's oldest brother,
Brittany is a year younger and Tyeler was 8 when Mikey went to Heaven.
He was wild and crazy (all boy). The night before he passed away
his friends slept over.
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Chase Otter
(Oregon) Our names are Rick and Kelly Mennealy-Otter. Our son Chase was killed
on an ATV four wheeler. We live in Central Oregon and each year
the men of our family enjoy the Oregon hunting season. Chase was
an out door kind of boy. He loved to go hunting with our Walker
hounds. He also enjoyed deer hunting, fishing and loved to carve
things from wood. He loved nature!
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Sara Rose Hennarichs
Contact Cathy Hennarichs (Florida)
My story begins as a typical Saturday on September 13, 2003. My 13
year old daughter Sara woke up early that morning, made herself and
her little sister breakfast and was off to a cheerleading event at
the local middle school. Sara’s dad, Duane was away in Wisconsin
for the weekend and I spent most of the day shuttling around my other
2 daughters, Amy (Sara’s older sister ) and Laura (Sara’s
younger sister).
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Tyler Lumpkin
Contact Cyndi Rucker (North
Carolina)
ATV's are definitely made unsafe for children and adults. My son
Tyler was a big 13 year old 180lbs and he rode ATV's since he was
3. My son even had his first ATV accident at the age of 3. He survived
that one but 10 years later he died from an ATV accident we will
never know what happened cause he was in the same field with grandpa
but this one time grandpa let him go alone riding the ATV to the
deer stand to pick up his hammer nails and saw.
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Carlton Powell,
Jr.
(Maryland) Carlton Powell Jr. was born September 27th 1988 at Georgetown University
Hospital, in Washington, D.C. He died July 20th 2003 in a very tragic
accident involving an (ATV) All Terrain Vehicle, while riding with
friends and family. On the day he died we had one of the best days
ever. We were renovating a rental property, and we worked until about
3:00 pm. Adam, Carlton's younger brother, asked if he could go riding
on his dirt bike with some of his relatives.
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Bryan Paul Smith
Contact Kim Smith (Louisiana)
Bryan Paul 'B.J.' Smith, Jr. was born on June 15, 1990 in a small
town in south central Louisiana. He grew up an only child and we
loved and spoiled him from the beginning. He and his dad had a passion
for motorcycles and rode almost every day. He didn't have an ATV
of his own but had ridden with friends and family many times before.
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Steven "Chandler" Saylor
(South Carolina) Chandler Saylor, a sophomore at Swansea High School, was fatally
injured in an ATV accident on May 10, 2003. In dedication to his
memory and love for sports, a scholarship fund was developed for
Swansea High School student athletes of outstanding character in
continuing toward their educational goals.
Read
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Talyssa Lynn-Ann Horn
Contact Donette Horn (Montana)
The horrible, fateful May day began like any other. The weather was
a little dreary, with a little sprinkle still falling. That afternoon
Talyssa wanted to go with her 7 year old aunt and grandpa, my father
to his ranch in North Central Montana, I was a little hesitant because
it was kind of cold, but in the end, Talyssa won.
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Austin
and Justin Nolan
Contact Carrie Nolan (Wisconsin)
The Nolan Boys
Our names are Carrie and John Nolan. Our 2 sons were killed in an atv accident
near our family farms in rural Southwest Wisconsin. Austin (9) and Justin (7)
were “Irish Twins” born just 20 months apart. They were best buddies
and looked a lot alike. They were sweet, smart, quiet kids who had a lot of friends.
They both loved playing sports. Austin was very good in sports and was chosen
to play on the older kids teams in soccer and baseball. Austin also loved being
outside working with his Dad on the farm. Justin really liked animals and especially
liked little kittens. He loved to draw and paint as well. The boys were always
together and loved the outdoors. They liked helping out with the gardening and
picking berries. They also looked forward every spring to hunting for morel mushrooms.
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Jamie Dunn
(Mississippi) My name is Kim Motes. Thursday Feb.28, 2007 started out like any
other day. I went to work. The kids went to school. They came home
from school, and were doing "kids stuff." Jamie had called
me and asked if he could ride the 4 wheeler over to a friends house.
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Sean Kearney
Contact Katie Kearney
(Massachusetts)
Sean Kearney Memorial
Our names are Mark & Katie Kearney and we live in Plymouth, Mass.
We have four boys who are all 3 years apart in age. Our 8 year old
son Sean died from injuries he sustained while riding on an adult-sized
ATV on October 27, 2006.
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Garion
Hight
(North Carolina) While on vacation in Ackerman Mississippi, Garion Tyler Hight rested
peacefully in our arms while he entered the loving arms of Jesus
Christ during a sudden accident on August 13, 2005 at 2:00 pm.
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Wade Knox
Contact Stephanie Knox
(Texas)
We thought we were one of the luckiest families in the world. Our
two boys had just finished the school year with honors and we were
just starting a long vacation. Then we lost our youngest son, Wade,
on May 29, 2007... just short of his 8th birthday in June.
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Adam Morse
Contact Lynne Gauron (New Hampshire)
Adam was the youngest of my 3 children, 6 years younger then the
middle child and only boy he became very spoiled -- or should I say,
babied, by Mom. He was a very likeable kid; well behaved with many
friends in this small rural NH town.
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Kaleb Morgan Curtis
Contact April
(North Carolina)
On August 24, 2007 our son Kaleb was riding on an Kawasaki 250 with
a family member. They made a u-turn and went off a 3 foot embankment.
The ATV flipped and landed on our precious child. He died instantly
of blunt force head trauma. One second and he was gone.
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Jim Dougherty
(Illinois) I allowed Jim only 2-3 minutes of freedom to go without me on the
rolling hills of an open cow pasture while I waited for him at
the gate. I found him pinned under the ATV. The foot well was across
his throat suffocating him. His helmet didn't save him. One minute
we were laughing, having fun and two minutes later he was dead.
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Jason
Graves
Contact Christine Smith (New
Jersey)
It was a Saturday afternoon when I received the phone call at work
that my son was in the hospital fighting for his life. Jason was
7 years old and should never have been allowed on an atv by himself.
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Benjamin Snyder
Contact Regina Snyder
(Arizona)
Benjamin held on to the handlebars and went over with the ATV hitting
head first. His life was taken instantly by severe head injuries.
He was riding a Yamaha 80 Badger which is a youth size model appropriate
for his age and a brand new helmet, yet that didn’t save him.
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Jamie Lynn
Messer
It was November 10, a Saturday, and it started like every other Saturday.
However this was the Saturday that my youngest sister Jamie Lynn
Messer, age 12, would be fatally injured in an ATV accident. This
was the Saturday that would change our family forever..
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Anthony
Paul Wodzinski
(Georgia) I lost my only son on June 10, 2006 due to an ATV accident. He was
just 15 years old. I had sent my two children to their dad's for
a couple of weeks during the summer for visitation. My precious son
did not come home.
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Ellie
Sand
Contact John Sand (Ohio)
Ellie Sand loved life! She was an accomplished dancer, tennis player,
horse back rider, and dirt biker. She was VERY determined, quit was
not a word she knew.
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James Addis
Contact Debbie Addis (North
Carolina)
James was going too fast to react properly (55 mph). He panicked
and grabbed the hand brakes instead of using the foot brakes. When
he did the 4-wheeler flipped several times and threw him over 100
feet. His neck was broken, and he died instantly.
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Abbey West
Contact Tracy West (California)
On November 22nd 2006, our lives changed forever. We were
planning to spend the Thanksgiving holiday out in the desert. I stayed
home to prepare the Thanksgiving meal for the next day.
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Derick Birk
(Indiana) Hi, my name is Trisha Birk. My husband lost his 8 year old half brother
in a 4wheeler accident on October 14, 2007. It started as a normal
day for them. He went to church with his mom.
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Alex Preston
Contact Kathy Preston (Texas)
On December 31st 2005 my 9 year old son suffered a traumatic brain
injury after flipping a 4-wheeler and crashing into a tree head
first without a helmet on. Even now I get chills remembering the
overwhelming feeling of helplessness, grief and fear of that day.
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Zachary
Bowman
Contact Karen Bowman
(Tennessee)
My son, Zachary, was 13 years old when on March 15, 2007, he
had an accident on his four-wheeler and was killed. He and a friend
were riding and the friend blocked Zach to keep him from passing
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Amanda
Schoonmaker
Contact Tammy Schoonmaker
(Kentucky)
My daughter Amanda is 15 years old and on Saturday Nov 1st 2008
she was
in an ATV accident. We were at a cook out in a private community
and all the kids were taking turns on the ATV.
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Zarse Good
Contact: Jenny Good
(Ohio)
I was blessed to be the mother of Matthew Zarse Good, whose life was claimed in an a.t.v. accident on 9-27-2008. Zarse was a gifted student, had been selected to be a student ambassador to Australia, and was a stellar athlete. He was involved in his community, his school, and his church. Zarse could run the 40 yard distance in 4.3 seconds and when opposing teams saw him up to bat, they signaled their outfield to move on back.
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Michael Watts
Contact: Mitzi Watts
(South Carolina)
Motorbikes, remote-controlled cars and go-carts. If it was related to motor sports, you can bet that Michael Watts was involved in it.
He began riding bicycles and a mini three-wheeler at the age of
5. The 16-year-old Clemson Tigers fan won several trophies for
go-cart racing, and he had the number 88 painted on his go-cart,
just like his favorite NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who adopted
that number last year.
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Tyler Kubilus
(Pennsylvania) There was an empty place on the soccer field when the Lakeland Chiefs played on Tuesday, Sept. 29. That same empty place exists in the hearts and minds of those who knew Tyler Kubilus, 15, of Dalton, who died in an ATV accident on Saturday, Sept. 26. Kubilus, who was wearing a helmet at the time, was killed when the ATV he was driving hit a bridge guard rail on Opeil Road in Greenfield Township, according to Chief Paul Fortuner of the Greenfield Township Police Department.
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Salvador Douglas Ramos
Contact: Kathy Ramos
(Oklahoma)
On March 5th 2005 we received a phone call from the father of a friend where my son Salvador had stayed over the night before. When I answered the phone I was told that my son was in an accident and I needed to go to the hospital. My heart was beating so hard I knew then that my son was gone. It was the longest ride to the hospital I ever had to make
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Roxanne Joubert
Contact: Nicky Joubert
(South Africa)
Roxanne is now 17 years old. She did motocross and show jumping which was her passion. As a Christmas present in 2007, I gave her an air ticket to go visit her boyfriend at the time who lived in Durban. In January 2008 she and a friend flew together to Durban to watch an international motocross event, which her boyfriend at the time was taking part in.
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Jefferson J.C. Haupt
Contact: rthaupt@live.com (Wisconsin)
My son Jefferson J.C. Haupt was killed October 17, 2009. It happened just a week after his 14th birthday. It was a beautiful October day. Some friends of ours had called and ask if they could bring an ATV out to our property to ride around. I have six children 4 girls and 2 boys. Our friend thought it would be fun for the boys to ride around our property.
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William McCrary
Contact: Melissa Cooper (Alabama)
My name is Melissa Cooper. I am the mother of William McCrary. On June 21st 2009 father’s day my son was in his father’s care for visitation. My son was put on the back of a panther 110 ATV with a nine yr. old little girl. Neither one of them had the proper safety equipment on. My son was thrown from the back of the 4-wheeler at 11:49 a.m.
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Brooke Scalise
Contact: Jennifer Scalise (Missouri)
My daughter Brooke Scalise (12) was tragically killed in an ATV accident in July while we were vacationing in Costa Rica. Her death was the result of complete negligence on the part of the tour company. At the end of the tour we were led up a road with a sharp turn at a very high speed.
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Kayla Rhymer
Contact: Carrie Rhymer (South Carolina)
On May 16th 2009 I got the call all parents fear. I received a call to tell me my 15 year old daughter Kayla was in an ATV accident and I needed to get to the hospital. Once I got there (less than 7 min of the call) I was not told anything for over an hour and a half. Finally a doctor came out to see me and I pleaded to see Kayla. He informed me it was not good and I needed to prepare myself.
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Elizabeth Cornes
Contact: Leslie Cornes (Louisiana)
In 2007 we lost our youngest daughter, Lizzy in a 4-wheeler accident. She was only 10 years old. We blame ourselves greatly as she should have never been on something as big and powerful as that. But we would have never guessed that she would die in a 4-wheeler accident. After all, we live in south Louisiana, and pretty much all of your neighbors here have 4-wheelers and everyone's kids are out riding them so it wasn't a big deal.....
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Austin T. Carmack
Contact: J.Carmack (Kentucky)
On September 08,2009, we received a call that would change the rest of our lives. We were told Austin was involved in an ATV accident.He was taken to the Mary-breckinridge Hospital in Hyden KY. where he was pronounced dead. He was a passenger on an ATV driven by a friend. The driver lost control and Austin was thrown off the ATV.That Tuesday evening our only child died and we lost our lives.
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Sarah Beth Pratt
(Arkansas) Sarah Beth Pratt, my youngest daughter, lost her life to a Honda 500 cc ATV while racing with her cousin in a hay field. She was only 12 years old. She died of head injuries and multiple internal injuries in her oldest sister, Tasha's arms. I was working at a nearby furniture store when I received the call.
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Mattie Claire Harrison
Contact: Latisia Harrison (Louisiana)
Mattie Claire Harrison was a wonderful typical 9 year old who loved life. It was a typical Louisiana day with the summer drawing to a close for the kids. School was fixing to start back only four days to go. Mattie, her sister Shalee, step brother Casey and a friend of Casey's were riding the four wheelers in the yard which is not uncommon for people of southern Louisiana.
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Duncan Miller
Contact: Susanne Miller (Missouri)
Duncan was a natural at all things mechanical. At age 2, Duncan was so good at turning a steering wheel appropriately while backing up his Little Tykes toddler car, he had his grandmother (and anyone else watching) convinced that the toy steering wheel was actually connected to the front wheels.
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