An unlawful Sunday afternoon ATV riding session resulted in a crash that seriously injured a child.
Patrol officers and Major Crash investigators responded to the crash at the 700 block of NE Pine Island Lane, as did Lee County EMS. The synopsis from the investigating officer is below:
VEHICLE 1: 2007 red Honda ATV, driven by JUVENILE (9 years old). The juvenile had suffered life-threatening injuries, now in stable condition.
VEHICLE 2: 2016 black Kia Forte car, Florida tag, driven by Christian Estrada, W/M, DOB: 1-24-03, of Cape Coral. Estrada did not suffer injuries. JUVENILE PASSENGER (17 years old) did not suffer injuries.
SYNOPSIS:
Vehicle 1, an ATV being driven solo by a 9-year-old boy, was driving in a vacant lot on the North side of NE Pine Island Lane with another adult nearby on their own ATV. Vehicle 2 was driving west on NE Pine Island Lane approaching the intersection of NE 7th Place.
According to witnesses, the ATV being operated by the adult stopped by the edge of the roadway of NE Pine Island Lane to cross. Vehicle 1 did NOT stop and drove south into the roadway, directly in front of Vehicle 2.
Vehicle 2 veered to the left and the left side of Vehicle 1 struck the front right of Vehicle 2. Vehicle 2 came to rest off the south edge of the roadway. During the crash, the driver of Vehicle 1 fell off of the ATV and onto the roadway. The ATV was eventually stopped nearby.
Lee County EMS arrived and found that the driver of Vehicle 1 suffered life-threatening head injuries, and he was trauma alerted to Lee Memorial Hospital by ambulance. At the hospital, it was determined that the driver of Vehicle 1 suffered a skull fracture and was being admitted for observation but was in stable condition.
The investigation determined that the 9-year-old juvenile and adult guardian were riding ATVs in a nearby vacant lot. At the edge of the roadway, the guardian stopped his vehicle so as to not drive in front of Vehicle 2. The juvenile did not and caused the accident.
The investigation found the driver of Vehicle 1 at fault in the traffic crash for failure to yield the right of way. The juvenile was also not wearing a helmet or eye protection which is required by law for those under the age of 16. The guardian was issued a citation for operating an ATV on a roadway, which is also against the law.
