Illegal use of ATV causes accident

Written by Picayune Item

Friday, June 12, 2009

Riding ATV on county roads can result in fine, impounding of vehicle

Jeremy Pittari

PICAYUNE — Riding a four-wheeler on county roads is illegal and can cause accidents.

One such incident sent one woman to the hospital Sunday when an ATV crossed into her lane as she was riding her motorcycle. That county resident riding his ATV illegally on county roads forced her off the road. Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Kelvin Stanford said the accident took place Sunday at about 1:24 p.m. on McNeill Henleyfield Road.

At that time county resident Bryan King, 23, of 266 Joe Smith Rd., Carriere, was riding his 2007 Honda TRX four-wheeler west bound on the county road just as Michelle Redhawk, 55, of 12431 Crestwood Dr., Gulfport was riding her 2009 Yamaha motorcycle east bound.

Redhawk told deputies that the ATV veered into her lane, forcing her to leave the road. When she left the road she was ejected from her motorcycle and suffered moderate injuries. Redhawk was transported by ambulance to Highland Community Hospital.

King fled the scene of the accident but was later found and charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving injuries and improper equipment (riding an ATV on a county road), Stanford said. King’s ATV was towed and impounded.

Stanford said riding an ATV on county roads is illegal and the Sheriff’s Department is committed to enforcing that law. They can and will cite riders and tow their ATV, forcing them to pay a fee to recover it.

Source: http://www.picayuneitem.com/local/local_story_163095824.html

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Community Voices

“It’s frustrating having a hunt ruined by people riding ATVs where off-road vehicle use is prohibited. Many ATVs look the same so there’s no way to identify violators when reporting the incident to law enforcement. There should be a requirement that off-road vehicles used on public lands have license plates or large decals. Any ATV user who follows the law and land management directives on where they can and can not use these machines should have no objection to this type of identification.”

- Holly Endersby, hunter from western Idaho