Another sad day for atv's

[tim colston]

This happened not 20 miles from me.

13-year-old dies in ATV accident
By Cathy Mong

Staff Writer

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

FORT RECOVERY, Darke County — A 13-year-old boy died in an ATV accident Tuesday night near Darke-Mercer County Line and Lightsville-Northern roads, the Darke County Sheriff's Office said.

Damon Klenke was apparently riding a Kawasaki four-wheel vehicle when it slid down an embankment to a creek and overturned in the shallow creek bed, trapping him underneath.

The boy's mother called dispatch at 7:39 p.m.

The teen, an eighth-grader at Fort Recovery Middle School, was taken by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton where he was pronounced dead at 9 p.m.

Damon was not wearing a helmet, deputies said. An investigation into the accident continues.

[WhiteZrider]

Ah dude that sucks :(

[450r51]

a 13 yr old on a kawasaki, prolly a big ute or a kfx400, no adult supervision and no helmet....:huh


i hate to say it, but he gets what was coming to him this kid is the reason y atv's look bad.


flame all you want but i know other ppl have the same view as me.

[300EXrider356]

a 13 yr old on a kawasaki, prolly a big ute or a kfx400, no adult supervision and no helmet....


i hate to say it, but he gets what was coming to him this kid is the reason y atv's look bad.


flame all you want but i know other ppl have the same view as me.



Dude when I was 8 I was riding our Forman 400. Its not the size of the ATV and age, its the skill of a rider, theres nothing wrong with kids riding large ATV's if they know how to control it. JMO

[450r51]

thank you trick 250r! i know i was riding bigger quads when i was younger, but not alone and especially not without a helmet.

and the quad was obviously too big for him if he couldnt get it off of him.

[HB416EX]

Thats sad but it was coming.No helmet riding alone probably inexperienced sad.

[bwamos]

Originally posted by 300EXrider356
Dude when I was 8 I was riding our Forman 400. Its not the size of the ATV and age, its the skill of a rider, theres nothing wrong with kids riding large ATV's if they know how to control it. JMO

Disagree completely.

Who here hasn't ever had an ATV tip? Cornering a tad hard, loosing accerleration going up a hill, taking a hill cross ways that was just a tad too steep, grab a rut the wrong way, etc....

I've done it too many times to count. Crud happens.

I am large enough that I can easily correct, or right my quad as needed.

However there's no way an 8yr old child is going to get a 700+ lb atv off of them. They might be able to wiggle their way out, but if they get snagged they are screwed. It's hard enough for a grown adult to do it at times. Especially when you get dumped into water.

The #1 issue here wasn't the child perse', or the size of the quad... it was the fact that he was riding alone, without a riding partner. You NEVER ride alone. It's like skydiving without a backup shoot, it's just not smart.

[Predatorguy88]

That's sad, but at the same time it's hard to feel sorry for the kid. He wasn't weraing a helmet and was riding alone, two things that should never be done.

I'm curious to know why he was alone. If it was around his backyard and supervised I could understand him being the only one out there, but still with a helmet. Going off on trails and such doesn't sound like a good idea by yourself, especially considering he was only 13.

[Mxjunkie]

I notice a lot of the younger kid's now dont wear helmet's, I go thru a lot of people's myspace's and tons of kid's are riding wheelie's down road's, no helmet's etc...

It's a shame people need to stop and learn.. :ermm:

[tim colston]

Originally posted by Mxjunkie
I notice a lot of the younger kid's now dont wear helmet's, I go thru a lot of people's myspace's and tons of kid's are riding wheelie's down road's, no helmet's etc...

It's a shame people need to stop and learn.. :ermm:


100% agree

[rebelbuggy]

Originally posted by bwamos
Disagree completely.

Who here hasn't ever had an ATV tip? Cornering a tad hard, loosing accerleration going up a hill, taking a hill cross ways that was just a tad too steep, grab a rut the wrong way, etc....

I've done it too many times to count. Crud happens.

I am large enough that I can easily correct, or right my quad as needed.

However there's no way an 8yr old child is going to get a 700+ lb atv off of them. They might be able to wiggle their way out, but if they get snagged they are screwed. It's hard enough for a grown adult to do it at times. Especially when you get dumped into water.

The #1 issue here wasn't the child perse', or the size of the quad... it was the fact that he was riding alone, without a riding partner. You NEVER ride alone. It's like skydiving without a backup shoot, it's just not smart.

i agree with you, and 13 yr old come on now Where are the parents? There the ones who Should Make there kids wear helmets and stuff, just yesterday my frd took his lil girls 4 wheeler away from her cause she rode it w/o a helmet.

PARENTS need to wake up and relize. now if your over 16-18 thats your own choice to wear one or not, I dont always wear mine but if im Hard time riding then I always do... puteing around the yard no

Sad to hear of this happening

[initall]

He was still a kid and did not have coming to him.

Why did the parents not make him where a helmet. I see to many people not wearing helmets. As a parent my kids don't even ride their bicycles without there helmets.

The parents are at fault as well as the kid, they made a mistake and now unfortunatley they are paying for it.

[Phills450r]

I think his parents should be charged for it if anything. I used to ride a 300ex when I was smaller but I ALWAYS rode with other people it wasn't by myself. If so my mom wouldn't of let me leave the yard with it.

I do feel sorry for him somewhat because he was so young and his parents let him leave without the helmet. Yes I was smart enough to wear one but his parents didnt atleast make him put one on?

hmmm

[arego]

I make my kid wear a helmet every time she rides her pedel bike, not to mention something with a motor in it.. Ya the kid made the quad crash but the parents are 100% at fault. you don't let a 13 yr old ride an atv of any size without supervision an proper saftey equipment. Call me dul, boring or what ever but this could have easily been avoided.....it is that simple..

[Ghost-Rider]

He had it comin i hate how people try to blame the parents completly because when i was 13 i sure knew if i crashed w/o a helmet it was gonna hurt its called common sense and the fact he was on roads my guess he got on and hauled down road overshot the trun and rolled it happens in this cause a helmet probly wouldnt of helped but still its common sense.

[700bRad]

There is a 9 year old farmer boy down the road that rides his 660 Raptor on my neibors property sometimes. He is so short he has to stand up at all times while riding, because if he sat down he wouldnt beable to reach the shifter or back break. Now THAT is dangerous. His parents should be stoned. I was watching him ride and he is pretty wreckless, trying to do wheelies and donuts, he rides the piss out of that rappy.....

[arego]

so kids are just born with common sense or is it something that is learned through the teachings of the parents... helmets are important that is instilled at a young age leading to the notion when your 13 that you know what will happen when you crash w/out a helmet..the mother was at home she should now exactly where he is while on the atv. they are dangerous no matter how old you are. would you let your 13 yr old go on a ride by himself??? common sense says nope...

[PolarisRider06]

yeah its stupid that he wasnt wearing a helmet and that his parents didnt make him wear a helmet but stop and think of the situation now. in his case a helmet wouldnt have saved him anyways because he was under the quad under water. he should have had some supervision or someone else riding with him and probably should have been on a lot smaller quad than he was, and of course should have been wearing a helmet.

the biggest problem nowdays with the size of quads is that there isnt really any middle ground for kids, the go from a 90 right to a fullsize 250ex, blaster, ect... and even with how small those may seem to us to a 13 year old it would still be pretty big. companies need to start making more midsize quads like they did back in the day like the suzuki lt230quadrunner and the 125's that some companies used to make so that its not such a big jump in size of the machine for kids once they outgrow their 90's

JMO

[Ghost-Rider]

Originally posted by PolarisRider06
yeah its stupid that he wasnt wearing a helmet and that his parents didnt make him wear a helmet but stop and think of the situation now. in his case a helmet wouldnt have saved him anyways because he was under the quad under water. he should have had some supervision or someone else riding with him and probably should have been on a lot smaller quad than he was, and of course should have been wearing a helmet.

the biggest problem nowdays with the size of quads is that there isnt really any middle ground for kids, the go from a 90 right to a fullsize 250ex, blaster, ect... and even with how small those may seem to us to a 13 year old it would still be pretty big.

JMO
yea but you say that thing about 90s to 250s as im different i learned on ( and rode for a while ) my dads rancher 350 and then i got my quad which is a 250 so ithink if your tought how to ride right you can start on a larger quad but this kid may have got a shot of adreline goin into it freaked and held on for the ride

[PolarisRider06]

yeah i know what your saying there, i think the first atv i ever rode was my uncles old polaris 350 and then my dads friends sportsman 500 and i didnt get a quad till i was 13 in 2001 and i got a 250 trailblazer (450 pounds) and that was the first quad i really got to actually ride by myself and i learned everything on it. but then again i was pretty good sized for my age so i never had much of a problem throwing it around and getting it back upright if i rolled it.

but then when there are kids who learn on a small quad and are used to riding something that they can throw around by the time they get something else and then they end up on something thats 4 times the size they aren't going to be used to the fact that the quad is to big for them to throw around like the other one. thats why it would be nice if manufactures would make some 125's or 230's or even something like the old honda and suzuki 250r's just with less power.

[Ghost-Rider]

I see where your comin from because im short for my age and stuff so learnin on my dads 350 it acted like i wasnt even on it i steered but sometime itd just take its own path which thought we how to bail and dodge trees good i suppose if i riped it once way at high speeds bein that small it wouldnt have been so good probly IT JSUT STARTED HAILING WOA .... lol anyway where was i yea i suppose if he came off a mini but a kawi quad cld been v force kfx400 wow now its PORUING hail anyway (lol i must sound i got add bad ) or it cld have been a boyu 250 or w/e they are holy crap man that some weird thunder i live in michigan and am used to storms but it sounds like shotguns not thunder...weird maybe we shouldnt yell at dead people ? lol

[wilkin250r]

None of the big four make a mid-sized quad, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.

[rooster300ex]

A helmet wouldn't save him from drowning in a creek under the quad. The first post said that it trapped him under the quad in a creek. Drowing most likely is the cause of this.

[initall]

"A helmet wouldn't save him from drowning in a creek under the quad. The first post said that it trapped him under the quad in a creek. Drowing most likely is the cause of this."

Because he was riding unsupervised!!!!!

[rooster300ex]

Originally posted by initall
"A helmet wouldn't save him from drowning in a creek under the quad. The first post said that it trapped him under the quad in a creek. Drowing most likely is the cause of this."

Because he was riding unsupervised!!!!!


exactly. seems nobody agrees with me ever. and i'm right!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TOPDAWG]

Parents should be charged.

I am buying my daughter (13 years old) a dirt bike. She don't know it yet...but she's done with quads.

[tim colston]

Originally posted by rooster300ex
exactly. seems nobody agrees with me ever. and i'm right!!!!!!!!!!!!


what if he hit his head and that was the reason he couldn't get the quad off of him. Your helmet will save your life.

[Mxjunkie]

Originally posted by TOPDAWG
Parents should be charged.

I am buying my daughter (13 years old) a dirt bike. She don't know it yet...but she's done with quads.

I'll be honest with you, I dont know if it was just me or not but I got hurt more on a bike in the short period of time I rode them vs quad's which I've ridden my entire life..

[trick250r]

look, here it is... the kid was at fault because he wasnt wearing a brain bucket plus he was riding unsupervised. (dont even tell me that might not have known better. hell, when i was 8 i could tell that the floor is harder than my head... so could the complete tool in my class that sniffed markers all day... NOT A BIG SECRET)

the parents were also at fault because he was riding without a helmet and apparently no one was watching. why do people have to be morons. now, because of said morons, we continue to have those little shows on good morning america saying quads should be banned... WHAT SHOULD BE BANNED ARE THE TOOLS THAT ARENT SMART ENOUGH TO BREED!!!

[Warnerade]

Originally posted by 450r51
and the quad was obviously too big for him if he couldnt get it off of him. I would love to see you wreck your 450r, get tossed in front of it and have it roll on top of you...then just lift it off of yourself and get back on it, ride away like nothing happened. I guarantee you can not do it.

That is going to go in my book of dumbest thigns i've read for the day, and its only 11am.

[johnsls]

Originally posted by bwamos
Disagree completely.

Who here hasn't ever had an ATV tip? Cornering a tad hard, loosing accerleration going up a hill, taking a hill cross ways that was just a tad too steep, grab a rut the wrong way, etc....

I've done it too many times to count. Crud happens.

I am large enough that I can easily correct, or right my quad as needed.

However there's no way an 8yr old child is going to get a 700+ lb atv off of them. They might be able to wiggle their way out, but if they get snagged they are screwed. It's hard enough for a grown adult to do it at times. Especially when you get dumped into water.

The #1 issue here wasn't the child perse', or the size of the quad... it was the fact that he was riding alone, without a riding partner. You NEVER ride alone. It's like skydiving without a backup shoot, it's just not smart.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I agree ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I just did it,, over shot a turn because of too much speed.
Before I had a chance to hit the brakes I was rolling in pain on the ground.
I got boarded up and taken to the hospital,, 10 days later I'm still hurting.

This is sad:( but any young rider out there should learn from it especially if you are new to riding.

Prayers to his family.

[rooster300ex]

Originally posted by NacsRacer027
I would love to see you wreck your 450r, get tossed in front of it and have it roll on top of you...then just lift it off of yourself and get back on it, ride away like nothing happened. I guarantee you can not do it.

That is going to go in my book of dumbest thigns i've read for the day, and its only 11am.


I've done that before, but if you got hurt real bad or something like the kid did it would be impossible. Even if you weren't hurt you would have to be stronger then the average human.

[Warnerade]

ya..a kid almost my size was racing a blaster at one of my D-14 races about a month ago, he flipped and the blaster ran him over...he was strong enough to lift it off, but couldnt becuase he was in shock...he did just get ran over by a fourwheeler.

[arego]

the last ten posts prove why all people no matter how old should have a riding partner..call it supervision or whatever you want, its not something that should be done alone...sand, trails, track where ever...the parents should have been watching

[Ghost-Rider]

Originally posted by NacsRacer027
I would love to see you wreck your 450r, get tossed in front of it and have it roll on top of you...then just lift it off of yourself and get back on it, ride away like nothing happened. I guarantee you can not do it.

That is going to go in my book of dumbest thigns i've read for the day, and its only 11am.
I was flyin through my woods in tall thornbush stuff didnt see the trench or dirt mound i was headed for only half quad hit the mound quad and i are rolling in air quad lands ontop of me in the trench and i was able to get it off me and im pretty sure mine weighs more than a 450R

How big are you Ghost-Rider?

[Ghost-Rider]

Im 15 but can be strong when i need it actully im surpsied i havent been to hospital or anything yet ... iv hits trees head on at 20-30 and not gone over bars iv been so extremly lucky and im not fat or anything im actully shorter but active...that wasnt first time havin to get a quad off me.

[Caseys 300ex]

Alright first off people need to stop ccalling the kid 8 cuz he was 13. Second if ur son or daughter died i dont think u would want to have people saying that they had it coming for them, thats just wrong. I live in ohio so i have some info. The kid drowned in a creek. i dont think having a helmet on will stop you from drowning. When i rolled my atc 90 when i was 12 it was kinda hard to get right up and lift the quad be cause i was pretty shocked and tired.And how many people on this site actually go ridn with somebody every time they ride. When i was 11 i never had adult supervision and i never had a serious accident.

Originally posted by Caseys 300ex
Alright first off people need to stop ccalling the kid 8 cuz he was 13. Second if ur son or daughter died i dont think u would want to have people saying that they had it coming for them, thats just wrong. I live in ohio so i have some info. The kid drowned in a creek. i dont think having a helmet on will stop you from drowning. When i rolled my atc 90 when i was 12 it was kinda hard to get right up and lift the quad be cause i was pretty shocked and tired.And how many people on this site actually go ridn with somebody every time they ride. When i was 11 i never had adult supervision and i never had a serious accident.

I rode a 100RT when I was 11, didn't have to worry about this stuff. But people should be more considerate to the kid's memory and family. Accidents do happen and not everyone has to be a critic.

[kawi_kfx13]

...im only 13 to...and hell i dont always ride with friends...but i always have a cell if im not.... even tho in the water a cell would never help...i always have it...just like 8 weeks ago when i brokek my leg bad...if my friend wouldntn of been there i woulda been screwd cuz i was out in the middle of no ware... and one other time i was out riding in the mud i fliped my 300ex on me coming out of a water pit...my bro was there to lift it off me or i woulda did the same thng that happend to him....rip

[Warnerade]

Originally posted by Ghost-Rider
Im 15 but can be strong when i need it actully im surpsied i havent been to hospital or anything yet ... iv hits trees head on at 20-30 and not gone over bars iv been so extremly lucky and im not fat or anything im actully shorter but active...that wasnt first time havin to get a quad off me. where you trapped under water and in pain? I doubt it:rolleyes:

[Ghost-Rider]

Originally posted by NacsRacer027
where you trapped under water and in pain? I doubt it:rolleyes:
not under water but was in pain i was wearin a tank top so i had some nice scars from the thorn bushs i looked messed up on the arms skin hangin all over

[arego]

When i was 11 i never had adult supervision and i never had a serious accident.


consider yourself very lucky look what happened to the 13 year old without supervision...

why is anyone even argueing this point..of course the kid or the parents did not have it coming..no one deserves to die like that ...we are just pointing out some basic saftey guidelines that should be practiced by the atv community in order to be able to continue to enjoy the sport we all love..

maybe some of the posters in this thread should re-read the original post and then re-evaluate what they have to say about the issue

[rebelbuggy]

I re read and read ever post. I put the wrong age even 13 I still agree what I said, the parents must have not MADE there kid wear helmet.
Its sad that the parents didnt make there kid wear one and that noone was watching him.

I ride in my yard alone and down the street alonebut always have my cell phone. and there houses, im pretty sure someone would find me really quick if I did wreck

[Warnerade]

Originally posted by Ghost-Rider
not under water but was in pain i was wearin a tank top so i had some nice scars from the thorn bushs i looked messed up on the arms skin hangin all over That is good, Im sure you had PLENTY of time to calm down, collect your thoughts and think about lifting it off. Regardless, Im sure the atv was not 100% on top of you.

end of story, im done with this conversation...theres too many narrow minded people these days it seems like

[bulkdriverlp]

bad parenting skills. period

[Caseys 300ex]

Well i feel bad for the family and i no some good parenting could have prevented this from happening but mistakes happen. I just hope the family can live there lives happily

[trick250r]

Originally posted by bulkdriverlp
bad parenting skills. period


thank you

[rbgnwa45]

I'm very sorry to hear this. The youngin' certainly did NOT have it coming to him, let alone anyone? Such a negative way to think about it. I was riding double with a friend slowly alone side a waterhole/mudpit in the woods and the front left tire grabbed the tree and it went over and my friend's leg was under the quad in the water. Had I not pulled it off him he would have maybe drowned (only 2-3 feet deep). Maybe this could have been prevented if he was riding with another, or if the quad wasn't too heavy, or the kid had bigger muscles, you see, you can't really put your finger on all the mistakes. This is very tradgic :(

[Quad18star]

AN incident like this could happen to anyone , regardless of age . I've been unfortunate enough to be trapped under my 660 Grizzly in about 8 inches of water , but couldn't do a damn thing to get the quad off me cuz of the way I was pinned down by the bike . Luckily enough I was riding with a bunch of friends and they pulled the quad off of me , but if I would have been alone I'd be a goner .

Maybe if this kid was riding with someone , he'd be alive today , but not everyone always rides with soemone else . I go out riding by myself in the middle of nowhere quite often and I'm sure a lot of you guys do the same . It's not something you expect to have happen when you go out for a ride , that's why it's called an accident !!!!

Sure he should have been wearing a helmet , but having a helmet on doesn't save you from drowing when you're pinned under water . I feel sorry for his family .... another young life cut short !!!!

i think you should have to take a driving test and get a ATV lisence if you want to drive them

[cop292]

Bottom line is this. IF you are an ADULT you can choose to make the decision to ride alone, without a helmet, ride a quad that is beyond your abilities, etc. If you are a child, it is the parents who are responsible for making these decisions. If a parent allows a child to ride with no helmet , ride alone, or goes out and buys their 10 year old kid a tricked out 450 just because the kid saw it in a magazine IT IS THE PARENTS FAULT if something happens. I have witnessed numerous incidents that could have been avoided if parents had made better decisions. Not just with quads or bikes but in general. Maybe this was one of those situations or maybe it wasn't. Only those involved know for sure. Hopefully other parents will learn from this so that another family won't have to deal with a similar situation.

[insaneracin2003]

Originally posted by cop292
Bottom line is this. IF you are an ADULT you can choose to make the decision to ride alone, without a helmet, ride a quad that is beyond your abilities, etc. If you are a child, it is the parents who are responsible for making these decisions. If a parent allows a child to ride with no helmet , ride alone, or goes out and buys their 10 year old kid a tricked out 450 just because the kid saw it in a magazine IT IS THE PARENTS FAULT if something happens. I have witnessed numerous incidents that could have been avoided if parents had made better decisions. Not just with quads or bikes but in general. Maybe this was one of those situations or maybe it wasn't. Only those involved know for sure. Hopefully other parents will learn from this so that another family won't have to deal with a similar situation.
agreed 100%.the child is not to blame here,the parants are at fault.

[rooster300ex]

Originally posted by Caseys 300ex
Alright first off people need to stop ccalling the kid 8 cuz he was 13. Second if ur son or daughter died i dont think u would want to have people saying that they had it coming for them, thats just wrong. I live in ohio so i have some info. The kid drowned in a creek. i dont think having a helmet on will stop you from drowning. When i rolled my atc 90 when i was 12 it was kinda hard to get right up and lift the quad be cause i was pretty shocked and tired.And how many people on this site actually go ridn with somebody every time they ride. When i was 11 i never had adult supervision and i never had a serious accident.


Like I said in the first place. But yes he should of had a helmet on anyways. I usually ride with people, but last weekend I didn't. I just didn't ride as agressive.