Tennessee

When 11-year-old Cameron Walker thinks of an all-terrain vehicle, he thinks of one thing, fun.

"They're fast...and you can get real dirty and stuff," he said with a smile.

However, what's not fun are the wrecks and injuries he and his friends have been in the past.

"Hit a rock and it flipped," Walker recalled. "(I didn't hurt) anything major that'll break my arm or something."

After the recent batch of storms, it’s understandable why muddy conditions and a sudden burst of warm weather can be enticing to young all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riders. However, ATV injuries involving children are all too common this time of year at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The hospital is seeing at least one injury per week.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says ATV-related deaths involving children increase 30 percent nationally during spring months. Tennessee ranks among the top 10 for ATV-related fatalities among children.

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for all ATV riders to be 16 or older, doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital are offering tips for children to stay safe this season. In addition, Children’s Hospital is partnering with the Tennessee 4-H Youth Development Program to offer free ATV safety courses for children and their families, which will be available at multiple sites in the Middle Tennessee area.

The juvenile males, both from the Briceville area, allegedly used an electric spotlight and a Marlin .22-caliber rifle to shoot the animal from an ATV in the Beech Grove community of Anderson County on Jan. 15, said Allen Ricks, TWRA spokesman.

Jenny Upchurch

Wildfires have burned more than 16,000 acres this year, and state officials warn that dry conditions make it dangerous to do any outdoor burning.

The state has not seen conditions like these since 2007 when a summerlong drought parched pastures and forest, said Tim Phelps, a spokesman for the state's forestry division.

Mitchell Kline

FRANKLIN — Police are investigating the shooting of a dog near Spencer Creek Road.
The dog, an Anatolian Shepherd mix, was shot near a pond, according to a police report. No one saw who pulled the trigger.

Tedd Tjornhom told police his daughters had taken two dogs to play in a pond near his home on Monday. A short time later he heard screaming and saw a friend holding one of the dogs, which had been shot in the chest.

Tom Humphrey

NASHVILLE - Under newly unveiled legislation, owners of all-terrain vehicles willing to pay a $11.25 state fee and perhaps more to local governments would have access to a network of "adventure tourism" trails and nearby highways where they are now forbidden to roam.

State Reps. Les Winningham, D-Huntsville, and Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, said the plan was developed by a group of interested parties, ranging from ATV enthusiasts to government officials, with the goal of generating tourism spending in rural Tennessee.

Hank Hayes

Locally sponsored legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly that would authorize all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to use designated highways with certain restrictions has been taken off notice.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Tony Shipley, said he decided not to advance the legislation because of time constraints and to lend support to an “adventure tourism” bill sponsored by state Rep. Les Winningham, D-Huntsville.

Stanley Dunlap

Several years ago, a father spent two months in the hospital after having an accident while illegally riding an ATV with his child on Horace Simmons' farm in Madison County.

Another recent incident has Simmons concerned about the safety of trespassers and the destruction caused to the land by them riding four-wheelers on his property.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- The city of Clarksville is upset because someone keeps vandalizing its golf greens.For the second time this month, someone took an ATV for a joy ride on Hole 11 at the Swan Lake Golf Course and left doughnut marks on the green. The damage is estimated at $10,000.The golf course was forced to close the hole until repairs can be made.

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Source: http://www.wsmv.com/news/21353972/detail.html