ATV Florida Forum

Heard on the news last night and this morning that an EMT died from injuries sustained at gatorback. She was riding after all the events were over and crashed. Has anyone else heard anything. She was not wearing a helmet.

Lets hope this is not true.

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060227/LOCAL/202270354/1078

More ammo for the activist, Sorry to hear about her death but as EMT she should have known better.

This is a terrible loss. I cannot believe that no one there stopped her from riding without a helmet, especially someone from Gatorback.  If she was working there as an event EMT, I'll bet she had not signed a waiver and did not have permission to be riding there.

My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends.

Teej

Again, another death regardless of the circumstances, Lets send out our prayers for comfort for the family members and pray that God knew her as well.

Very true! 

The only times I'm tempted to ride w/out a helmet, still don't, is when it's really hot-that definitely wasn't the case yesterday!

thats unfortunate, you would think that a EMT would have been wearing a helmet

That is TERRIBLE. You would think an EMT would wear a helmet. As we refer to my signature.

Another one "it wont happen to me"

 what a shame, will people ever learn?

Acting Fla. Fire Chief Dies In ATV Crash

POSTED: 2:40 pm EST February 28, 2006
UPDATED: 5:31 pm EST February 28, 2006

WALDO, Fla. -- The acting chief of the Waldo Fire Department was killed Sunday while riding an all-terrain vehicle, according to WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Fla.

Lt. Hope Powell, 39, was riding an ATV at Gatorback Cycle Park in Newberry when the vehicle overturned on a steep incline and landed on top of her, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

She was not wearing a helmet, but officials said head protection probably would not have saved her life, the WJXT-TV report said.

Friends said she was riding after serving as a paramedic during an ATV race.

Hope, who had served with the Waldo Fire Department for nine years, was named acting fire chief when Andy Burkhalter, the city's fire chief, was called up for deployment to Iraq with a Navy dive team. This was her second time filling in for Burkhalter during his Navy duty.

Powell is survived by her husband -- a firefighter with the Gainesville Fire Department -- a teenage daughter and her parents.

Visitation for Powell will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Milam Funeral Home, 311 S. Main St., Gainesville, and her funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday morning at the First Baptist Church of Waldo's Family Life Center, 14330 Kennard St.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.


Copyright 2006 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I always say smart ones will live.
But she should wear a nemis chest armor prection
and helmet could save her live.But i always say wear
your safely gear before you go riding.
Thats why they made them for pro riders
out there.Next time i'll wear mind in case somthing happens.

Always learn your mistakes before you go riding....  8)

Thanks,
amhiglander  :)

Ps: I'm sorry for those familys are going threw
rough time right now.. :o I know how that is.

I almost lost my grandmother last year up in nashville
during june 2005.The day england got blew up in subway on tv.

I know who she was...And I saw the bikes they were on. The hills were crazy steep, man....Im speachless

You know, it anly takes a few moments to put on your helmet. I do not care if you're riding a sport bike or sport ute, if it's hot or cold, if you're mudding at 10 mph at L-Cross or sand dragging at 80 mph at Hazlehurst, if you think you're bullet proof or not.


You ride without it, you are stupid. I do not care what the circumstances. You are stupid. You can't debate this. You can't refute this. Put on the helmet and make sure those you ride with are wearing their helmet.

Think I'm wrong? Here's some recent data taken from the National Brain Injury Association Website. These statistics include ATV's:

Helmets are estimated to be 29% effective in preventing fatal injuries tomotorcyclists.

A recent NHTSA study showed that motorcycle helmets are 67% effective in preventing brain injuries.

Among riders involved in crashes, those who do not wear helmets are 40% more likely to sustain a fatal brain injury.

In 1993, helmet use in the states with all-rider helmet laws resulted in 515 lives saved, 2,035 moderate to serious injuries prevented and more than $513 million saved.

A single brain-injured motorcyclist can cost a state more than $2 million over a lifetime.

Fatalities from brain injuries are twice as high in states with weak or no motorcycle helmet laws in comparison to states enforcing helmet laws.

Now, in addition to the loss of life, impact on family and friends, take a look at the enormous cost associated with taking care of a brain injured person over a period of years. If you're not adequately insured, who do you think pays for the care you require as a result of your selfish decision not to wear a helmet?

The answer; the rest of us pay fo it. The amoutn of tax I pay in one year would make your skin crawl. I certainly do not want any more of my money going to support someone who was too self centered and stupid to not take the time to strap on a helmet.

Not discounting the human loss and suffering. However, the impact of your simple decision hits many more than what you might think.

Put it on.

You can't put a medic on a quad with or with out a helmet with out the proper ATV training. Oviously she didn't know how to lean correctly for the terrian. I put my fiance on a quad for the first time the other day and she looked like a stiff robot on it. If I stuck her out at a place like gatorback she would be hurting or dead too. Its a sad story though, to bad it happen :'(, I feel for her family.  By the way what quad race was going on at gatorback last weekend.

FTR

I can't believe she wasn't wearing a helmet. My husband flipped his bike on top of him 2 weekends ago at Croom on a steep incline and broke his collarbone and ribs. If it hadn't been for the helmet he would have probably been killed. My heart goes out to her family.

He's right about one thing about riding terrian.But i always watch atv tv
shows on oln channel about riding tips:Stand up on your quad riding over steep hills and ruts and take it slow.
But I understand what are you saying about that. ;)
Thats way it sound like what happen to her.If she was going at slow rate speed
and maybe around 15mph could cuase flip over and didn't stand up on her quad in time.



Anything could happen during flip over crash at gatorback. ???

I know it's very sad story what happen there.
But we all  learn about our mistakes in life.(Life and Death)

Maybe it will show up dirtwheels magzine next month?

I just want to say one thing, I know why they werent wearing helmets.

They (the paramedics) were wearing head phone walkie talkies.

Also, going up a hill slow... These hills.. you wouldnt make them if you went slow.