I would like to share my story with those of you who enjoy ATV riding. It's
very important to me that I tell other people about my experience.



A little over 2 years ago, my 12 year old son, Justin was staying with friends
while my husband & I were away on a business trip. Justin had asked if he could
ride the ATV of his friend. He had never ridden before and loved anything that
went fast. We always called him our adreniline junkie. So we agreed. What I
failed to find out - and the reason that I am writing this note - is that ATV's
come in various sizes. I was not aware of this. The larger ones are designed
for people over 16 years old. They have a warning label on them indicating that
they should only be ridden by someone over 16. Our friends ignored this warning
label and allowed my 12 year old to ride a bike that was way too big for him.



Justin had a great time and after about 2 hours of riding somehow lost control
of the ATV. Nobody knows what happened next, but he was clotheslined by a low
hanging branch. The bike pitched forward, crushing him between the branch and
the bike. He was only travelling 15 miles per hour, so speed was not a factor
in the accident. My little boy was killed instantly from the weight of the ATV
(500 lbs) crushing him. All of his internal organs were damaged. We were not
even able to donate any of them due to the severe damage. In an instant, my
life has become a nightmare!



Justin was riding a brand new 2000 Polaris Trailboss 325. It had only logged 18
hours of ride time.



I do not write this as a person who wants to bash ATVs. I think they are alot
of fun and still feel this way. I merely want to remind you all to be sure to
have your children riding a bike that is appropriate for their size. There was
an investigation done for my son's accident. It was determined that he was only
doing 15 - 18 mph and he was wearing a helmet. His death was 100% the result of
a bike that was too heavy for his little body to handle (he only weighed 108
lbs). I know many people buy ATV's larger than they should with the intent that
their child will "grow" in to it. Please don't make the mistake I made. It is
a regret that I will live with forever. As a parent, I feel like the ultimate
failure. I hope that in sharing my story with you - you can be spared the agony
that I live with everyday.



I have since done a ton of research on ATV related accidents/deaths involving
children. 90% of them are due to kids riding bikes too big for them. Anyone
under 16 should be on a bike with less than 90cc.



Thank you for allowing me to share this with you. I welcome any comments and do
not mind answering more personal/detailed questions if you have any. Feel free
to e-mail me at:

lornapierce@....



Thank you....Lorna P., Justin's mom forever (08/27/87 ~ 08/13/00)

Florida



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