ATV Florida Forum

Today a 21 y/o was killed out there, from what I understand, he was riding up a hill when another rider jumped the hill from the other side and clipped him in the head with his back tire. The thought is he snapped his neck. No helmets, and I'm sure way to much alcohol. This is not going to help us to get any riding areas around here.

http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,2545,TCP_16736_5497750,00.html

 :(

and because the Mullet Wrapper is usually wrong:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/local_news/epaper/2007/04/22/m1c_pcdeath_0422.html

Hey man, things happen. Care to take a guess how many pedestrians will be killed today, how about bicyclists?

They are called accidents for a reason, and it sounds as if a helmet could have done nothing to save him, flags on the other hand.

My condolences to the families involved.

Very sad... his poor family. God Bless them.

i dont want to get clipped but i want to see all the guys riding and stuff... i'm a newby... is there places to watch from.... i'm not ready to get out in the middle of ya'll yet

That's terrible. The article said he was 16 not 21?

Visit 'where to ride' section here.

Yes I know that there are accidents, but accidents could help to be avoided.... I feel very bad for the family and all that went through the tragedy.

I agree, and feel terrible for the family. Just trying to inject some perspective here. A tall flag is more important than a helmet IMO.

Well in this case your right. There is no helmet that would have saved him in this case. The flag would have been much more help. Anyway does anybody know what is going to happen to the kid who killed him?

I'm no lawyer, but vehicular manslaughter seems way too harsh for an accident with no alcohol and minors involved.
Every time I get on a wheeler, I am well aware it might be my last ride. I hope everyone else does too, these vehicles do deserve some respect no matter how long you've been doing it, or how good at it you are.

How about leaving the scene of an accident and even attemting to leave the property??

What may hurt Underhill is the fact that people complained about the 16yr old riding like a complete idiot.  More than once, and nothing was done to stop him by the staff.
The young man who was killed was 21 and on a little pit bike.

i dont know if the kid that killed him was driking but i know for a fact that tim was not drinking beacuse he didnt drink. He was a very very close friend of mine. Unfortunatly i wasnt there when the accident happend but came over about 10 min. after and i couldnt belive what i was seeing. From what i gathered out of all of this the 16 yr old kid was going against the flow of everyone else that was riding. Once he hit him and then got back up he looked back, saw him laying there and took off. Had he stopped and checked on him i would call it an accident. but since he took off i think he should  be charged to the fullest.

Hold up, the 16 yo tried to leave the scene prior to law enforcement arrival?
That's wrong for the little turd to think he can just ride away from something like that, whether it's his fault or not, and there should be something done about it and the reckless riding prior to the accident. Unfortunately if this Underhill's is private property that wont happen, at least criminally. >:(
Condolence's to the Family

Ok, I didn't know the kid fled the scene, and didn't attempt to render some aid after the fact.
Being a minor and this being a private facility, I feel for the Underhills...and I suspect the kid will never see the inside of a jail cell.

When I was leaving today & stopped to talk to Ed about everything he had said that the kid will be charged .... I have to say that the memorial / bon fire last night really hit home.... guys please pay attention when you ride !

RIP Timmy 4/21/2007

ok i know exactly what happened that day. i was there. that hill they both jumped was to high up that neither boy could see each other. and when the 16 yr old was in the air the 21 yr old started up. so by the time the 16yr old saw him there was no way of turning back and the second the 16yr hit the ground after wrecking, he ran to the hurt kid and then ran for help and called 911. then went back to the scene  and the friends of the kid told him to go find more help and thats just what he did. he was extremly scared. i mean what would u do if something that tramatic  happened to u at that age. and the parens didnt know there son was involved until they reached the gate(they were not fleeing, they were leaving cuz that was the day they were going home form the beginning)  then when the 16yr old realized how badly the 21 yr old had been hurt he told his mother and they went directly to the police at the gate. it may have looked bad at first but they had every intention of talking to police bout everything. he even cried when he realized the kid had died. he only thought he was hurt badly. i agree with who ever said the thing bout no1 could be prepared enough for this even though they have ridin for years and years cuz the 16 yr old had been riding since he was around 7 years old so he knows what hes doing. but nothing could have prepared him for somehting as horrible as this. i feel extremly sorry for the family and im sure the 16 yr old does to cuz i know he has a heart and that was the first time ive ever seen him cry like that. but thats the true story of what happened.  :-[

i definatly didnt hear it that way but if u were there when it happened u would now more than me. i havent had a chance to really talk to anyone else that was there about it because everyone was so emotional but i will find out this week what the truth of what happened is (not saying your wrong). in someways i wish i would have been at that spot to see it happened but im glad i wasnt.

thats fine if u wanan find out the ''truth'' im not trying to be mean or anything. i was just letting ppl know exactly what happened bcuz i am the sister and i saw and heard evrything.

Wow, the whole thing is just tragic.  I send out my prayers to everyone involved, being a parent, I can't even begin to imagine the pain and suffering.  Let's this be a reminder to us all yet again, BECAREFUL! 

excuse me but he did not try to leave. my family did not know my brother was involved in the crash and when they did find out they went staright to the police. he did NOT  have to be found or anything. that some rumor that has been going around and its NOT TRUE. and he was not riding around like a maniac. ppl on 4 wheelers were riding around worse then he was. look im not trying to start problems but if u were in a situation like this boy what would u do?? seriously man? and who says there was a flow of traffic, there r no flaggers and no arrows to be pointing out which way to go, every1 was going in different directions. there was no security or anything, when u enter that place it is pretty much ride at your own risk, y would mr. underhill  have u sign waiver forms and stuff? so i would appreciate ppl to stop staring rumors that r way beyond the truth, its bad enough this boy has to walk around school with ppl looking down on him for somehting that was an accident.

prayers to the familys and friends affected in this tradgic accident.

oh and also, he was wearing sfatey gear, the 16 yr old was wearing a helmet. and he was not crying when we first left the camp, just very very quiet and then when he mentioned it to my mother she immediatly called my father in a diff vehicle and told him and they went staright to the police and then when he found out the kid had died, he started crying. so there ya go.

All I can say at 16 if I badly injured someone buy accident or stupidity I would have been crappin my pants scared,But I do believe I would have gottin help as fast as possible and my parents would know for one it would be the wright thing to do for two they would find out anyway and then I would look like a liar to my parents and everyone else.If he called 911 and then went back to the scene did his mom not question the call?

Accidents happan, we all take that chance everytime we go riding. The 16yr. old will have to live with that for a long time. I doubt any charges will be filed or should be.

once again not saying your lying im not 100% postivie because i am hearing this from other people and i do feel sorry for ur bro having to go through all this.  I was told the the fhp said that ur parents were not aware of the situation and that they found the bike in the trailer and thats how they found him. And i also heard that fhp said that someone would be charged because he ran. Remember this is just what i heard. If he didnt run i dont want him to have to go through being charged that would be wrong, but i dont know what the truth is now so im not gonna point fingers. If he did run and gets away with it, fine he's the one thats gonna live with that the rest of life i think it would be punishment enough seeing how it was an accident. I just think its weird how no one at the scence knew where he went. I know once i showed up on the scence i was there for a while and the cops where trying to find him. How long did it take u guys to go up front and tell an officer?

What are the chances of someone not getting a flyer with every employee at bamboo's nextel 2 way # & thier cell numbers ??? Besides that is should have only taken 30 mins tops to get there & back if you knew there was an emergency... Plus security was driving around...

Either way I showed up at the scene afterwards & I too had not seen the "16 yr old" that was involved.....

Mom had asked me to write this. As a parent who goes to L-cross, Ockechobee, & c&r with 2 chrildren & their friends I have seen a lot of crazy-ness. I have never been to PlantBamboo. Jeremy's father told me last Thursday they were going & how great it is. Room to ride, cost ect,... We met Jeremy the 16 y/o & his family over a year ago. Helmets are seen mostly on the younger riders, but Jeremy always wears one while riding his bike & does not ride like a maniac. He is very conciderate kid with a big heart who got scared as anyone his age would have. I have talked to my own 15 y/o boy & he dosen't know what he would have done but he does now. We all seem to learn from someone's tragidy. Security told him to go back to his camp which is what he did. Jeremy had asked to go for one last ride while the family finished loading up for the day. ACCIDENTS happen!!!! It's a sad for all involved but whats sader is the statements & rumors I have read here. My daughters best friends boyfriend has been timmy's best friend since he was 9 y/o. Did anyone see the movie Sunday "Crossroads"? A real story about forgiveness. Instead of ruining this kids life for street racing which caused the death of a mother (wife) & daughter (sister) the family turned his stroy into something positive & to this day ( after court order completed) they still talk to other teens at schools all over the country. It has helped this kid with his own healing. Don't you think it will take a while for Jeremy to get past this awful tragidy? Jeremy we support you as your sister does. And for timmy R.I.P. God be with but families& friends

   I feel sorry for both sides of this tragedy.I'm sure the 16 year old was scared beyond belief.You have to remember what your thought process was at 16.
   Either way, it was a very bad accident.Of course the older person is passed on, but the 16 year old still has to live with the fact that he killed someone.NO 16 year old should have to live with that everyday!!
   I'm sure there is going to be mixed feelings.But you have to face the facts...accidents happen.Noone is to blame when they happen because noone was trying to do it.
   Whatever happenned, everyone needs to pray for both sides.A better understanding of our sport and dealing with the outcomes makes us all better riders!!

   Nomatter how long it takes you to put on all the right riding gear, nothing should be left out.When I first started riding, I saw people wearing gear and I thought they were just trying to look good.
   It's not to look good!! Whether your trail riding, or racing like a lot of us...wearing all the gear is a must.Ride hard, safe, and have fun!!

Everyone keeps saying that this 16 yr old killed someone. Lets remember that there were two parties in this tragedy. He did not pull a gun on someone. He was just having fun just like everyone else. Just so happens that two people had the same intentions just from opposite sides of the embankment. One got there first or the other may have been killed. Lets quit charging this 16yr old for something that the only way he could have changed the outcome is by not riding, which we all love doing. Come on people, Lets be glad that it was not our 16yr old son involved and give this kid a little respect. Put yourself in his shoes, at 16 what would you have done. You would have been scared to death, I know at the age I am now that I would be scared to death, at 42 I would have done things different but I cannot say that I would have done anything different if it happened to me at 16. Shoot, you hear all the time about older people running from the cops on quads and having an accident. I know its not the same but its still illegal and bad for the quad community. Lets give both families the support they need and quit calling people killers. This kid needs some support also. We need to band together as a community and quit the blaming game. It could have been anyone on the other side of that embankment.

:Clap.gif Well said.

good point YUNT2RIDE.I pray for both familys.

 :) Thanks to all those you have responded since I posted this AM. Jeremy is a good kid you does need our prayers to move forward. School is almost out for the year and we all will be spending alot more time riding. I would like to see alot more helmets on those ATV riders(my kids included)to prevent more tragedies such as this. It could have been my son .the last time riding he was almost hit by a race quad which cut right in front off me with my son to my left, the kid almost took him out. Of course it would have been the others fault for an accident but at that time my son was not wearing a helmet. My heart still pounds when I think of that day. My son just told me he is always going to wear his helmet no matter where he is. Life is to short. Stay safe, ride hard, have fun. Our prayers to both families.

   Think about more riding gear.It's not just helmets that save you from injury.I cover from head to toe!!

who is the person that has known him since he was 9. i probobly know him too.


I agree 100% on the accident part. Weather he ran away or not like u guys said he's got enough to deal with by living with this. We have other things to worry about now as well. Plant Bamboo might be getting sued which could mean we might loose another riding spot because of all this too. We should show our support for no only the familys involved but also mr. underhill.

The whole thing is just tragic.  However the kid reacted, you know what, who knows how anyone would react.  That had to be horrible, horrible scene.  From what I read, the 16 year old, is a good kid, it's not like he some nut job.  I really really feel for this poor kid, can't even begin to imagine the pain he must feel.  You know, it very could of happened to either one of them, but the 16 year old is the one that was spared.  We should really send up our prayers to him, and the victims family, because like I said before, I just can't imagine the pain that must be like.

What we can also do, is stop and think.  Because, not just riding 4-wheelers, but everyday we face the danger of this being the last day.  So for one, everyone should stop, take a long look at themselves, and those around them.  This should remind everyone of what is important, and that life is very precious, and fragile.  Tell those around you that you love them everyday, because this is "The Dance".  We all take risk each and everyday, just make sure that you try and make the most of what we have.  We can also look at this tragedy to remind our young ones, and ourselves for that matter, to be careful.  Tell you children this story, because we all know, at 16, hell even 21, nothing could hurt me.  Well, unfortanetly for this young man, reality tells a different story.

Love all of you, and we should embrace this child, for that is what he is.  I wasn't there, I don't know what happen, but I can assure you, this poor child had to be in shock.  He had to be.  So how you would react at 16.   Cause if that were me at 16, and that happen to me, I don't what I would of done, been so upset, I mean how can you really handle something like this.  I am so sure when he went over that hill, he had know idea there was someone on the otherside.  Unfortanetly, they are both just as responsible, it was just a tragic accident.


My thoughts and prayers go up to both families.  The families of the 16 year old, though he has a long road to emotionally recover, count your blessings that you still haver your brother, your son.....

People always pray when something bad happens or someone gets hurt or they are scared.This accedent proves we all need to pray for our own safety and the ones close to us on a daily basis to help prevent things like this , but things may still happen and in my mind thats why you must ask forgiveness each and every day for your sins and ask GOD to take you home to be with him in the event of your own passing.That way if ever killed in a tragic way you know in your heart of hearts you know where you will spend eternity.Thank you JESUS you are my savior please help lead me down the right path and please be with the familys involved with this tradgic event.

Even at 16, I would always go straight over to any accident scene I saw to see if I could help.
If I was involved, I wouldn't never leave until the last responder left. I'm sorry, I don't feel so
sorry for the kid. I hope what the family is saying is true, but this thread is full of conflicting eyewitness reports.

Moral of the story, put a tall flag on your ride. They do save lives as well as a helmet, sometimes better.

At 16, you may have always went over to any accident, most any of us do that and always have, but evidently you have not been in one like this so you do not know exactly how you would respond. You may do things different after reading this thread because now you have had time to plan it in your ride or because you are older now but before this thread there is a lot of us that has never seen or heard of an accident of this caliber. I can say that I have never seen a tall flag on a dirtbike. It would probably slap them to death moving back and forth. Depending on how high the embankment is, along with you concentrating on riding, having fun and the jump. You may not see the other persons flag anyways.

 ::)flags might be a good idea if you were riding on property... not sooo busy. Kinda like hunting, you only allow so many people on your property at one time and they always wear hunting gear(bright orange) to be seen at a distance and not be mistaken for a deer. You start using flags people come up with all kinds of poles to hold them. This could cause impalement and death. Safety starts with gear. I'm sure after this tragedy we will all make adjustment before riding again.Be safe,ride hard,have fun....   oh the friend of Timmy's is J.C. and I just found out he also knows Jeremy

You must be kidding. I have been riding 30 years and I have the scars to prove it. My first accident nearly killed me at age 12, and I've witnessed plenty almost as bad as this, none as tragic as this one thank god.
The dirtbikes out at the holey lands don't seem to have any problems. Why would it be any different elsewhere?
Physics dictates the flag will be behind you.

Ok, First question is have you ever run over someone yourself and nearly killed them instead of being in an accident yourself. Second question, How many dirtbikes have you ever seen with a flag on them. And then depending on everything I posted, with the embankment size, focusing on riding and having fun and then focusing on the jump, would the kid have saw the other rider anyways. I think not. They both had the same intentions at the same jump.

Q1: I collided with another guy at age 13 (both of us on dirtbikes) rounding a blind gravel curve in opposite directions. It is 50/50 on who almost killed who, loud pipes would have helped us that time...maybe, but I was the first one up off the ground and didn't think of taking off, not that my bike was in any shape for it.
My knee was ripped open so wide I nearly bleed to death hobbling home, and gravel rash is ten times worse than road rash.  That was the first and last time i ever rode in shorts, no shirt and flip-flops. We are friends today, thank god neither of us were killed.

Q2: Plenty, take a ride out to the Holeylands on the weekend to see them in action. Kid manage to ride bicycles with them you do know..

As for whether a flag or a helmet would have saved him or not can and only will ever be speculation.
I am only suggesting a flag is the only possible piece of equipment that may have helped avoid this terrible tragedy. Heck, perhaps onlookers would have seen the flags heading for the same jump in opposite directions and intervened.

You guys have helmet cheerleaders, well now you have a flag cheerleader. The value of a flag where I ride is higher than a helmet in the ten foot tall grass.

Ok, a flag may or may not have helped and you may not feel sorry for the kid. The thing is that everyone is blaming the kid for taking off not knowing why he took off (to many questions and rumors to know) All I'm saying is that it could have been anyone on the other side and at 16, noone can say what they would do until you have been in that situation or until you you hear or read about it happening to someone and have time to think about what you would do in a case like this. This kid by no means is a criminal.

looking at the scence and where his body was and where his bike was i dont think he was trying to jump it, he was just riding up it. If he would have been in the air he probobly would have survived. I was told at the scene that jeremy came up to the tabletop on one side with intent to jump it and tim was just riding up the other side not jumping. It kind of makes sense because if this was the case that would explain why jeremy landed on him and not ran into him. If he would have ran into him the injuries would have been different i think

I feel terrible for all involved. Please don't take anything I've said as cold hearted or any other way, but as a constructive discussion on how to avoid a tragedy such as this in the future.
The kid has to live with this the rest of his life, that is a pretty bad punishment IMO.

I look forward to the official report, and I hope Mr. Underhill doesn't lose everything he has over an accident.

thats not the way i want to die

Personally, I can think of much worse ways. At least he was doing something he liked.

true

When hill jumping, it might be prudent to have a spotter.

What a tragedy for all parties involved. May God be with them through this tragedy.

I hate to bring this thread up from the dead, but I am sick to my stomach from what I am hearing.
The boy who killed the guy is suing Ed Underhill.
IF this is true y'all should be ashamed of yourselves.

IF THAT IS TRUE THERE WILL BE ANOTHER PLACE SHUT DOWN

Wow if thats true that family is full of SH*T.May god help ED and the family of the guy who got killed.If I ever see the family who is sueing Ill be sure to give there car a new paint job and new custom rocks through the windows graphics.whoops did I say that outloud

where was this info heard? has the official report even been completed?

Reading this post reminds me of 2 old farts standing by the fence with nothing better to do than spread gossip! This is a truly sad for all involved and the best we can do for them is to not spread gossip.

Amen!

I have been there twice. Once for the day and once for the weekend. Judging by what I saw it is AMAZING that someone isn't seriously hurt or killed there every weekend.

It's not gossip

I hate to bring this thread up from the dead, but I am sick to my stomach from what I am hearing.
The boy who killed the guy is suing Ed Underhill.
IF this is true y'all should be ashamed of yourselves.

Your statement "based on what I am hearing" indicates that it is gossip and not fact!

Hey Papa, cool your jets and quit trying to start something. It is fact. They should be ashamed.

Read your own post...........

You said what i am hearing and if it's true

not I know for a fact


Now does that sound like a person who is sure of their information.

I guess trying to be subtle doesn't work here and everything said is placed under the microscope to vere off topic.
Hey, if I'm wrong then I will be the one who is ashamed.
edit:I think papa is right. No good comes from gossip.
I would delete my posts, but they have been copied and pasted.
I see someone has erected quite a memorial to Tim. Made me sad when I read was is engraved on it.
Frank, you are also right about the getting hurt factor there. This whole thing has made me think of all the time I spend out there practicing when there is no emergency help close-by. I have been lucky. I quit going there on the weekends and when there is an event. So it is usually me and one or two other nutz