West Virginia No. 1 in ATV deaths

2 hospitalized in Marion County accidents

By Jeff Schrock, WBOY-TV Randolph, Tucker & Upshur County Reporter/Anchor

Two ATV accidents in Marion County on Saturday sent two people to the hospital.

The first happened on Central Avenue in Farmington.  The Marion County Sheriff's Department said the man was riding in his yard, went over an embankment, and the ATV landed on top of him.  The sheriff's department said the man was conscious and alert when he as transported by a medical helicopter. Sheriff deputies haven't released the man's name.

Another accident happened in Fairmont on Mystery Lane. Authorities said three men were riding an ATV up a hill when it rolled backward.

The driver was the only person flown to the hospital in that incident. His condition and name haven't been released.

About 1,700 all terrain vehicle riders died in crashes on public roads in the United States from 2007 to 2011. Two-thirds of fatal ATV crashes occur on public or private roads. The vast majority of ATV riders killed in crashes on public roads are 16 or older and male. Few fatally injured riders wear helmets and many are impaired by alcohol.

ATV deaths in America once averaged 227 a year, but increased to more than 800 by 2007.

While West Virginia is behind Kentucky and Pennsylvania in the number of ATV deaths annually, it has by far the highest per-capita rate of ATV rider deaths (105 per 10 million people) in the country.