A crash on July 4, 2011, between a car and an all-terrain vehicle has left one dead, the Suffolk News Herald reports. A 39-year-old driver was headed eastbound on Route 126 in Onancock, Virginia (VA), in a 2004 Pontiac GTO when he swerved to avoid an oncoming ATV. The driver of the car lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a tree. A passenger in the vehicle was also injured. The driver of the ATV escaped without injury and was charged with operating an ATV on a highway, driving without a helmet and driving without headlights or taillights.
Golf carts and ATVs have become more and more popular on rural roads in this area of Virginia, despite laws and regulations against them. In this area, drivers must be on the lookout for everything from bicycles and scooters to ATVs and even horses pulling carriages. Though it’s important for drivers to watch out for road hazards, it’s clear that this ATV did not belong on this particular stretch of highway.
Our thoughts go out to the victims’ family.
Though this ATV driver was lucky enough to walk away injury free, many are not as lucky. Each year, hundreds of people are injured and killed because of ATV accidents and malfunctions. Because they’re seen as recreation vehicles, many people underestimate how dangerous they can be. ATVs present the same risks as motorcycles in terms of exposure during an accident.
As Virginia personal injury lawyers, we have experience with victims of car accidents, particularly those involving two-vehicle crashes. If you’d like to find out more about how to properly share the road while operating an ATV, check out this article.
CD