BEAUMONT, Texas — Two Southeast Texas ATV accidents claimed one life and hurt three other people in a matter of days.
Wyatt Wells, 9, died Saturday, September 7, after the ATV he was driving crashed into a tree. One other child was injured. He was treated on scene and released.
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On September 9, two women were injured in a morning ATV accident in Orange County. The driver of the ATV, Delena Flowers, received minor injuries and Annalyse Garret received serious injuries according to a Texas DPS news release.
In May, former Newton track and field star Jalia Franklin was killed in an ATV crash in Jasper County.
Chad Simon is a parts manager at Outpost Powersports in Silsbee.
He said to be cautious when driving an ATV and follow manufactures guidelines.
"The age and the no passengers, and no drugs or alcohol and there again, be aware of your surroundings and the terrain you are riding on," said Simon.
David Starnes is a personal injury attorney.
He is currently handling a case involving an ATV death. He could not go into detail but said there are things attorneys have to know when handling an ATV lawsuit.
"It requires the testimony of expert witnesses and they will opine on what if anything caused the accident that took place," said Starnes.
In 2018, Texas had 13 ATV deaths, that's according to a report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
READ MORE | Consumer Product Safety Commission
According to another CPSC report, ATV deaths have been declining since 2015.
From 1982 to 2017, Texas leads the nation in the number of ATV deaths with 831.