8-23-12, near Winchester Bay, OR. The vehicles in this party: two Ford pickups, Oregon license plates 289 FTE and personalized plate that reads: “ZFUNT.”
THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — I witnessed a man, with a broken right arm, operating an adult-sized ATV, using his left hand to operate the throttle (located on the right side) carrying 3 kids, likely all under 6 years old.
This occurred on August 23, 2012, 3 miles south of Winchester Bay, at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (Umpqua area) on the Oregon coast. The vehicles in this party include two Ford pickups, Oregon license plates numbers 289 FTE and personalized plate that reads: “ZFUNT.”
Oregon state law says that no child under 16 is to ride an ATV without a helmet, a state-issued hands-on training certificate and no child under 7 may ride an ATV, period.
Oregon adopted these aggressive rules to curtail the runaway ATV-related death and injuries rate of children and adults — particularly kids under 16. Most Oregonians are now required to take an exam and carry a certification before riding an ATV in a public area. Clearly this man did not take the exam or is flaunting the law because the rules clearly and repeatedly pointed out the extreme danger for kids at ATV staging areas and camping grounds — the very place this person was riding around recklessly with these kids.
I cringed when I saw this, but was quick enough to take photos, albeit from a distance. I’m still disturbed by this a day later – never mind the obvious danger of the operator losing control throwing the kids onto the pavement — in my mind, I picture the girl slipping forward, foot caught in the ATV tire then yanked down and bashing her head on the footpeg – potentially another stupid and needless ATV death. Do we need to report these people?
Your thoughts? If you’re a law enforcement officer or a social worker for children, I’d especially like to hear from you and know your thoughts on the matter.
I’m thinking the jurisdiction here includes the Oregon State Police - 503-378-3055, osp.ncc@state.or.us ; Douglas County Sheriff – 541-440-4450; and Oregon State Human Services, Child Protection – (503) 681-6917.
8-23-12, near Winchester Bay, OR. The vehicles in this party: two Ford pickups, Oregon license plates 289 FTE and personalized plate that reads: “ZFUNT.”
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Filed under: Stupidity and Dubious Achievements, 289 fte, atv, broken arm, child endangerment, child protection, childrens services, deaths, douglas county sheriff, oregon dunes national recreation area, oregon state police, zfunt
What a pitty that this man doesn’t love these children enough to say NO !! I have seen all the TBI cases from 4×4 rides and rides without helmets, its been said before you can’t fix stupid !! we as a society can’t protect everyone via laws it takes common sense and good judgement also !!
Honestly: I do evaluations for Child Protective Services (psychological) and this could be a symptom of something larger. He “lets” tw kids do this? What else is happening? You’d be surprised how good you can feel after calling to help these kids. If it turns out he’s a good parent who made a crappy decision, then the state may just warn him not to do anything like this again…but maybe he is this reckless with them all the time. You literally could save these kids lives!
Thanks for your comments. You’re right, what else is happening . . .
The there is this . . .
http://www.abc4.com/mostpopular/story/1-year-old-dies-in-motorcycle-accident/1-2upIcBS0K53_Ouo74jwg.cspx
“Unified police said the 48-year-old father was riding his motorcycle with his infant son between him and the motor. Neither were wearing a helmet.
Witnesses said the man was driving fast. He hit the brakes on a turn and crashed. The boy was tossed from the bike and killed.
Betty Reiz watched the wreck unfold. She said the baby tried to stand up after the accident, but fell down and died.
“The father is always with the child in front of the motorcycle,” Reiz said.
She said she felt guilty for not stepping in.”
I helped write the child safety laws here in Oregon and he is breaking several. No helmets, passengers only allowed if they have a proper place to put their feet. There is no min. age for quads but rider-fit for children under sixteen is required as an operator. This guy is a moron and is an enemy to those of us who responsibly ride with our family. Good laws protect our children and our sport. I wish more states would follow SB101 – since passage we have not had one child fatality in our state where previously we had eight plus per year. If all states would require supervision, training, and rider-fit we could significanty reduce the number of child injuries and deaths while allowing children to recreate with their families. Seemed like a no-brainer when we wrote the law – with years of success it seems like the CPSC would be spearheading this law Federally.
Thanks Lindy for helping get the law written and enacted! I saw those stats too — zero child deaths after the law was enacted. I also took the online ATV test the day before I took I went out riding that week. That is why I was stunned. Thanks for your comments!