Another Fatal ATV Accident at Oceano Dunes

Nigel Whitehead
Nigel Whitehead
Contributor
Posted by Nigel WhiteheadAugust 11, 2008 1:51 PM

On Sunday a 26-year old Santa Maria man was killed in a single ATV accident. Details of the crash are not yet known. The alarming number of fatalities and serious injuries at the Oceano Dunes no doubt arms the anti off-road riding crowd with additional ammunition to close the beach to vehicular traffic. I'm not sure closing the beach will solve the problem. Those who love to ride will simply ride elsewhere if the beach is closed.

This message will not go into the environmental arguments over the off-road riding issues. But, from a safety standpoint, something must be done. Whether it be additional required training, safety equipment or limiting access to some of the more dangerous areas, such as "Competition Hill" where this accident happened, something must be done. Too many children and young adults are being hurt or killed. It is estimated that there are up to 300 serious accident per year at the 1500 acre off road area.

It is too easy to glibly enter this debate from afar. When your family has been personally affected by such an accident the debate takes on a completely different tone. I would love to hear suggestions from those who ride more than I do.

3 Comments

Have an opinion about this post? Please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Jim
Posted by Jim
August 11, 2008 3:39 PM

Sad that you make assumptions without any information to back up your claim.

You state: "...limiting access to some of the more dangerous areas, such as "Competition Hill"..."

Competition Hill is not a dangerous area, if it were it would show a higher level of accidents or deaths...but it does not.

Drawing a correlation or conclusion on limited information is sad. Should we assume that all lawyers are liars and child molestors since lawyers have committed these crimes in the past. I say no... but your rush to judgement shows that you think this is acceptable.

If you study the accidents within the state you will see that the Oceano Dunes is one of the safest places to enjoy OHV activity. Any death or injury should not be taken lightly, but we must all realize that death and injury occurs in every activity and precautions must be taken.

Who knows...maybe there are circumstances to this accident which have not been released.

Kevin P. Rice
Posted by Kevin P. Rice
August 11, 2008 8:58 PM

You call the numbers "alarming" yet you ignore all of the deaths and injuries county-wide on highways, hiking trails and elsewhere. Yes, several hikers have fallen from cliffs lately--at least one killed. Should we ban hiking? Why not? Contrast it, please. Competition Hill is a very mild hill as far as dunes go--all of Oceano Dunes is mild. There are much much larger dunes in California. Without any specific knowledge or riding experience you equate one incident to categorically prove a fact. Bet you'd never let your legal opponent pull that maneuver unchallenged. You're obviously in a position to seek work and money off these incidents. But, I bet you'd fly either direction depending on which side hired you.

Kevin P. Rice
Posted by Kevin P. Rice
August 11, 2008 8:58 PM

You call the numbers "alarming" yet you ignore all of the deaths and injuries county-wide on highways, hiking trails and elsewhere. Yes, several hikers have fallen from cliffs lately--at least one killed. Should we ban hiking? Why not? Contrast it, please. Competition Hill is a very mild hill as far as dunes go--all of Oceano Dunes is mild. There are much much larger dunes in California. Without any specific knowledge or riding experience you equate one incident to categorically prove a fact. Bet you'd never let your legal opponent pull that maneuver unchallenged. You're obviously in a position to seek work and money off these incidents. But, I bet you'd fly either direction depending on which side hired you.

Comments for this article are closed.

Subscribe to InjuryBoard San Luis Obispo

InjuryBoard San Luis Obispo RSS Feeds

Keep up with the latest updates using your favorite RSS reader

Legal Assistance Center

More Info
Better Business Bureau Accredited Business Confidential

Your question will be referred to an attorney near you. If your question is of a legal nature, then by submitting this form you agree you are not forming a formal attorney / client relationship. Read our full privacy policy.

Looking for an InjuryBoard attorney closer to home? Click here.

Subscribe to Blog Updates

Enter your email address if you would like to receive email notifications when comments are made on this post.

Email address