ATV crash sends two men to hospital

[jpease]

An ATV crash amid softball fields at a public park sent two men to the hospital Monday evening, officials said.

"Just about" every time I read any news in regards to "ATV Accident" it is usually no protective gear "helmet".

Neither man was wearing a helmet, according to a Florida Highway Patrol press release.

Both Parker and Clark, his passenger, were ejected.

Source > http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/NEWS/704110530/-1/RSS01

[JackL]

An ATV crash amid softball fields at a public park sent two men to the hospital Monday evening, officials said.

"Just about" every time I read any news in regards to "ATV Accident" it is usually no protective gear "helmet".

Neither man was wearing a helmet, according to a Florida Highway Patrol press release.

Both Parker and Clark, his passenger, were ejected.

Source > http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/NEWS/704110530/-1/RSS01

The media rarely reports when people are wearing helmets and crash. 'Google news' "ATV" and see for yourself.

Would helmets prevented their trip to the hospital?

A helmet is a personal choice, not a law YET.

If you crash and your torso is ripped in half, what will a helmet do for you anyway?

Personally, I wear mine when driving my car and crossing the street, you can never be to careful!

[ScooterB]

PUNTA GORDA ‹ Two men were badly injured when the all-terrain vehicle
they were riding flipped over Monday evening.
    Shane Parker, 31, of North Port, was driving a Polaris ATV with
passenger Glenn Clark, 22, of Arcadia, in an empty pond near the parking lot
of the Carmalita Softball Complex in Punta Gorda, a Florida Highway Patrol
report said. Parker drove the ATV up the edge of the pond and launched it in
the air. When it landed, Parker lost control and the vehicle flipped over.
    The men, who were not wearing helmets, were ejected. Both were flown by
helicopter to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers. Parker suffered critical
injuries and remained in the intensive care unit Tuesday, while Clark, who
had serious injuries, had not been discharged from the emergency room
Tuesday afternoon.
    Charges are pending against Parker, the report said.
    FHP spokesman Lt. Douglas Dodson said the agency does not see many ATV
wrecks.
    "In our area, I know we have them, but it's not an exorbitant amount,"
he said. "Usually when they happen, there are serious to critical injuries.
We have worked cases where they've died."
    Most crashes occur when drivers hit objects ‹ Dodson recalled a case
where a person ran into a barbed-wire fence ‹ or overturn the vehicles.
Often, crashes are the result of horseplay.
    "They don't just overturn in themselves," Dodson said. "It's a driver
issue in some cases."
    Helmets are not a legal requirement for ATV riders, Dodson said