All-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, also known as four-wheelers, can be an exhilarating way to adventure outdoors. Despite their name, these vehicles are not truly meant for every type of terrain out there. Each year, many people drive or ride on one of these vehicles without being aware of the dangers they present. ATV accidents injure 135,000 people each year. Of these, more than 700 people are killed annually. Nearly 1/3 of those killed in ATV accidents are under 16 years of age. Many of these accidents involve carelessness and could have been prevented by simply following safety precautions.
NBC-2 reports that an 18-year-old is facing manslaughter charges for an ATV accident that killed a passenger. 18-year-old Koleton Mitchell is facing DUI and manslaughter charges after a drunken ATV accident claimed the life of his passenger, 22-year-old Brenden Eddington.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, they received a call about the crash at about 1:10 a.m. The crash happened on an unpaved road at the Picayune Strand State Forest near Sabal Palm Road.
Mitchell was driving the ATV, with Eddington and 20-year-old Oliver May as passengers. Mitchell began driving in reverse over a slope and backed into a tree. Eddington was ejected from the vehicle and it rolled over on top of him.
Mitchell and May turned the ATV over onto its side and pulled Eddington from beneath it. They then drove Eddington to a house and called 911. Eddington was rushed to NCH Baker Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.