ATV crashes cause alarm

All-terrain vehicles designed for off-road recreation often are used improperly, leading to tragic results.

Nearly all types of ATVs are designed for a single driver and for off-road conditions, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. But several recent area accidents involved teens traveling on paved roads with one or more passengers riding along.

Early Saturday, four Hudson teens were seriously injured in a collision with a pickup on a paved road in rural Pasco County. The youths, ages 12 to 16, were riding together on a single-person Honda Sports Trac ATV, Florida Highway Patrol reports show.

In July, two Dade City teens died when the ATV they were riding collided with a sport utility vehicle on a paved road near Sumter County. Recent Pasco High School graduates Dan Brown, 19, and Steven Villarreal, 18, were killed in the crash involving an Arctic Cat ATV. It's not clear whether that vehicle was designed for one or two passengers.

Accident reports do not show whether any of the youths were wearing a helmet.

ATVs are designed for interactive riding, meaning drivers must shift their weight in all directions to adjust for the terrain, the safety commission said. The ability to control the ATV is greatly reduced if passengers are on the vehicle.

Likewise, an ATV designed to handle uneven surfaces struggles to perform on streets. Florida law prohibits ATV use on paved roads.

Children account for about 30 percent of all ATV injuries and deaths. Since 1982, nearly 10,000 people have died in ATV accidents in the United States, including 2,588 people younger than 16, reports show.

In 2008 alone, 135,100 people, including 37,700 children, were treated in hospital emergency rooms for ATV-related injuries.

The teens involved in the Hudson crash continued to be treated at area hospitals, the patrol reported Monday. The ATV's driver, Mark Cullpepper, 15, was listed in serious condition. Brandon Knowles, 16, was in critical condition; Jessica Alonso, 12, was in stable condition; and Cierra Delorey, 13, was in stable but serious condition.

Neighbors near the scene of the accident said teens often recklessly drive recreational vehicles in the rural northwest Pasco County neighborhood.

"Lord knows, kids are running around in the middle of the night around here all the time," Edlund Douglas said. "I just don't understand it."

Neighbor James Mettler heard screaming when he got to the scene early Saturday. A pickup truck smashed into the 2001 Honda ATV about 2 a.m. at Hicks Road and Denton Avenue. Cullpepper pulled into the path of the 1992 Ford Ranger heading west on Denton Avenue, according to the patrol.

The truck hit the front of the ATV, knocking off all four of the riders, the patrol said.

Reporter Natalie Shepherd contributed to this report. Reporter Mary Shedden can be reached at (813) 269-7365.