A 10-year-old girl was killed last month in Missouri when the ATV on which she was riding with a friend flipped. It landed on top of her.

Madison County Sheriff’s Capt. Brad Wells said the department was called to the 11000 block of Bononi Road in New Douglas at 6:20 p.m. for a report of an ATV accident.

Montana Niccole Garner of Livingston was a passenger on a four-wheel, adult-size ATV being driven by a 12-year-old female friend. They were on the private farmland of the 12-year-old’s family, which is not far from the victim’s own home, Wells said.

“They were making a turn and it flipped and then landed on the child,”  said Madison County Sheriff’s Capt. Brad Wells. “This appears to be strictly an accident.”

Emergency personnel were summoned to the scene, and the girl was taken first to Community Memorial Hospital in Staunton, then flown to a St. Louis area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The ATV’s driver suffered minor injuries, Wells said.

Area police have seen a number of fatal ATV incidents in the last few years. Wells said people using ATVs should follow warning stickers that indicate the limits of the vehicle and the recommended ages of drivers, and should wear appropriate safety gear.

Source: The Telegraph

A fatal wreck last Saturday in Southlake, Texas has left four dead and police confused. At about 11:30 a.m. a 2008 Toyota Avalon crashed through a fence into a tree, then flipped into about six feet of water without any obvious cause.

Monty Hardy, Hadassah Vance, Wendy Akion, and Sharon Ransom were all Jehovah’s Witnesses going to door-to-door on return visits for service to their church. All four were wearing seat belts when their car was immersed in water. They all drowned and died within 24 hours.

The 2008 Toyota Avalon was recalled in November when it was discovered that the gas pedal might get stuck on the floor mats and cause sudden acceleration. Unfortunately, the vehicle was too damaged for police to determine if the floor mats had any part to play in the fatal accident.

Police are hoping to examine the car’s internal computer to find the cause of the wreck, but may not have the equipment to do so.

It is very important to heed recalls and warnings issued for your vehicle. If the floor mats did indeed influence this wreck, it is possible that it could have been avoided if a recall had been issued sooner or the owner of the vehicle had acted on it faster.

To find recalls issued for your vehicle, visit http://www.recalls.gov/nhtsa.html today.

53-year-old Dennis Ralich was killed when he was thrown from his Honda all-terrain vehicle.

Ralich’s death is puzzling since he was known as a skilled and responsible driver.  The road was flat at the scene of the accident, and investigators believe that speed was not an issue.

Steven Ralich, Dennis’s son, found his father’s ATV rolled over near a soybean field.  He later found Dennis’s body in a soybean row.  Emergency personnel arrived at the scene but were unable to revive Ralich.  It was concluded that Ralich died instantly from the multiple injuries he suffered.

The county Sheriff’s Department is conducting an investigation.  The department is looking at Ralich’s ATV for signs of mechanical failure, but they have not ruled out the possibility that Ralich hit an animal.

The county coroner, said, “There was some damage to the ATV from overturning, and there may have been some other issues with the machine.”

ATVs are notoriously top-heavy and poorly designed. If you or someone you love has been killed or injured by one of these dangerous machines, please contact an experienced Texas car wreck attorney for professional insight.