Durhamtown Plantation being closed!!

heree is an e-mail from the owner, Mike. Lets all get onboard and show our support for this great place to ride!!

Subj: NOTICE TO ALL RIDERS OF DURHAMTOWN PLANTATION
Date: 4/24/2006 7:18:19 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
From: mikemc@durhamtown.com
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent from the Internet (Details)



NOTICE TO ALL RIDERS OF DURHAMTOWN PLANTATION



Durhamtown is under attack by the government/individuals/media to be closed because of the number of injuries/deaths that have occurred here



Rumors were started that there have been more than 25 deaths in 2 years and untold injuries

With this initial rumor it was reported to WAGA Channel 5 I-Team Investigation in Atlanta, with Dale Russell being the primary reporter. Dale Russell, Investigative Reporter, dale.russell@foxtv.com



This is very untrue.... investigations outside of DP claim that there have been 8 related deaths in 4.5 yrs of operation. Our records indicate 7 deaths with over 2,000,000 hours of riding at DP.



It was also rumored that we (DP) restricted emergency helicopters from landing and we refuse to call ambulances to injured riders……again untrue.



FOX 5 along with the GBI have interviewed over 200 people who have ridden at DP. Dale Russell I-Team WAGA interviewed me last Saturday. He questioned me about many untrue statements, which I corrected on camera. As well as discussing many true statements.



I was told that Durhamtown was being shut down by Greene County along with criminal charges potentially being sought against me for involuntary manslaughter and other criminal charges by the GBI. Greene County wants DP closed due to the injures and accidents ASAP. They are trying to use zoning and permits to get this done if possible as a 1st attempt and 2nd thru criminal actions



They are seeking a Temporary Restraining Order this Friday to close until a hearing is held to determine the future of DP and other riding areas similar to DP. They stated they would not stop here; they want to stop any future DP type operations. If they can create enough cost and fear many will close and more will chose not to open in the future in fear of charges and restrictions.



Dp was questioned again today by FOX 5 about what are we doing wrong from other facilities. I reversed the question to Dale Russell and he could not answer it. I feel that DP has exercises more safety through enforced rules and regulations of our everyday operations.



FOX 5 does not have all the correct statistics to do a proper comparison yet and this is where we need help your help. Anyone having any statistics from other sports & injuries please forward them to David Wade at peelskid@gmail.com. We are trying to gather as many statistics as possible. Please only forward statistic to David. Continue to provide your comments, by either on the forums or to mikemc@durhamtown.com.



We are primarily a recreational facility with many families and beginners. As with any sport involving beginners or the not so advanced will prove to have higher injuries than a trained athlete.



Dp is a victim of success and is under attack.



HOW CAN YOU HELP??????



Any help that you may offer will be appreciated Many have already started by emailing WAGA, local/state/federal government agencies and many others to voice opinions and comments. Following is a list of email addresses that others have sent to us that they feel is and could be useful.



FOX 5
General Addresses
Assignment Desk, newstipsatlanta@foxtv.com
FOX 5 Feedback, feedback5@foxtv.com
FOX5 Human Resources Department, hratlanta@foxtv.com
I-Team, IteamAtlanta@foxtv.com

On Air Talent
Nicole Allshouse, Reporter, nicole.allshouse@foxtv.com
Portia Bruner, Reporter, portia.bruner@foxtv.com
Lisa Crane, News Anchor/Reporter, lisa.crane@foxtv.com
Morse Diggs, Reporter, morse.diggs@foxtv.com
Doug Evans, Reporter, doug.evans@foxtv.com
Tracy Flanagan, Reporter, tracy.flanagan@foxtv.com
Dana Fowle, Investigative Reporter, dana.fowle@foxtv.com
Aungelique Proctor, Reporter, aungelique.proctor@foxtv.com
Doug Richards, Reporter, doug.richards@foxtv.com
Dale Russell, Investigative Reporter, dale.russell@foxtv.com
Mark Teichner, Reporter, mark.teichner@foxtv.com
Tony Thomas, Reporter, tony.thomas@foxtv.com
Randy Travis, Investigative Reporter, randy.travis@foxtv.com
Paul Yates, Reporter, paul.yates@foxtv.com



Dale Russell is the I-Team reporter/investigator. But emails to the general manager and other reporters as well may help. I would let any and all of them know how we feel.



Here's a website you can contact ALL your elected officials, even the governor, President Bush, and FOX5.
www.congress.org/congressorg/home



Durhamtown appreciates your support!!!!



Thanks Mike

You beat me to it.

I copied this thread into the open forum so more folks could read it. This is everyone's chance to help out a facility that is being attacked by your friends and mine, the media.

I ask everyone to help in any way they can, maybe take 10 minutes and write a thought out email to send to each of the links provided. This is exactly how it started back in the 80's, let us do our best to prevent it from happening in the future.

Here is my response to the news station:



Dear Sirs,
After finding out about your stations report on the Durhamtown Plantation Offroad ATV facility, I felt compelled to respond. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, and an even greater fan of recreational ATV use I find it ludicrous that you report to your viewers information that is far from factual. I have received information that your facts hold no merit, and feel you have manipulated the statistics to add depth to your coverage of the issues relating to this facility.

As with any sport, injuries and deaths will occur. These are tragic, whether they be on the soccer field, basketball court or on every football field in every home town on Friday nights. Proper training, supervision and preparedness all help, but we take a risk in enjoying our outdoor activities. The ATV industry has pushed safety and training with every new or used ATV purchased since the CPSC laid out the ground work back in the early 1990’s. This combined with proper parental supervision and proper adult training and control, the overall accident rate and death rate have fallen if you take into account the shear numbers of new ATV’s sold. That number is approximately 900,000 new atv’s sold per annum.

As a father of two young riders who have traveled this country racing and visiting various recreational riding areas I have never found one riding area that is operated in any manner that would reflect what you have reported. In 2005, my family attended and raced over 25 events without a single injury. While we know this is indeed good fortune, we as free American citizens assume the right and control of our recreational activities and any injuries or damages we may sustain while participating in ATV related events or pleasure rides. I would sooner see my son racing his ATV then walking back to a basketball court in any major city in this country. I would also prefer my family enjoying our ATV related sports at facilities such as Durhamtown Plantation then to have our lives risked venturing to see a baseball game in any major city.

I will be monitoring the activities of your news organization, as well as alerting the ATVA to help get their assistance in these issues. The late 80’s saw ATV’s portrayed in a bad light that affected all of those that enjoy them, but thankfully this is the new century and the lightening speed of the internet will not allow misguided information to be our demise again.

Signed,

Loyal Freedom loving American that rides an ATV

couldnt that be considered slander of what they are saying about the track?:confused:

It could be considered slander and if there is no trial, or there is a trial and Durhamtown Plantation is able to stay open, charges can be brought against the news station for slander.

If they close i'm going to have to hang out on the streets and get in trouble. Man this sucks. That place is awesome.

It appears my email atleast rattled someones cage This is a portion of the email I recieved in response to the fired up email I sent to the news station doing the investigating. (name withheld)

It also went on to question how I knew so much about a story that hadnt aired, and i replied basically that the story went away when the money was handled and that news organizations can abuse thier power to push an issue that never was an issue.

enjoy


Hello,
I am amazed that you can quote from a story that has yet to be broadcast. It's human nature to blame the messenger who reports unpleasant facts about ones favorite activity, but usually folks wait until a story has aired before they complain.
Our stories on Durhamtown will air on Thursday and Friday in our 6 PM and 10 PM news
shows.
The purpose of our report is not to criticize motocross or people who ride motorcycles or ATVs. The story is an examination of the number of deaths and injuries at the facility and how those incidents have concerned public officials in Greene County and prompted a GBI investigation. The sheriff and the GBI were actively involved in investigating Durhamtown long before we decided to do a story about the issues.
We would not be doing our job if we did not bring such issues to the public's attention. We are not drawing conclusions about the sport, but we are letting people know that there are professionals in law enforcement and the medical field who have raised very grave concerns about Durhamtown. It is the type of information I would want to know if I were involved in the sport. Our report lets people know what's going on and what our government is doing about it. If, after seeing our report, you don't like actions being taken by government agencies concerning Durhamtown, you might consider expressing your opinion to the agencies involved or sharing your views with your elected representatives.
I think you should watch our stories first before reaching a conclusion about them. Whether you like them or not, the issues involving Durhamtown, both medical and governmental, are real. These issues will continue whether we do our story or not