This ATV was involved in a crash Saturday, July 2, 2022, at 8705 Sinaloa Drive in Pharr, where a man crashed into a brick and concrete home on the 4-wheeler. A 12-year-old boy was a passenger sitting behind the man. (Courtesy Photo)
The Pharr Police Department is urging the public to exercise caution when operating all-terrain vehicles in the wake of an accident that left a man seriously injured this weekend.
Police responded to 8705 Sinaloa Drive in Pharr on Saturday, July 2, after a 41-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy crashed into a home while riding an ATV.
According to police, the boy suffered minor injuries, but the driver, who was identified as Julio Flores, sustained a large gash on the right side of his face from the top of his eye to his lower lip. Detectives learned that the ATV was traveling at a speed of 17 to 18 miles per hour at the time of the crash.
“The case is still under investigation,” Deputy Chief of Police William Edmundson said Wednesday. “I don’t know how far we’re going to go into it with regards to criminal charges. That may be possible. We’ll let the investigation decide that.”
Edmundson said that there are laws and traffic codes with regards to the use of ATVs. He said that they are not allowed to be used on residential streets.
“We do have those issues, not so much in Pharr but around the county itself,” Edmundson said. “There’s a lot of property, a lot of canals, a lot of areas like that that people utilize their ATVs. Accidents like that, unfortunately, occur.”
The city of Pharr has an ordinance that prohibits the use of ATVs on public roadways. Individuals found in violation of the ordinance could face a class C misdemeanor and a fine of up to $500.
Edmundson acknowledged that there is a concentration of ATV users in Pharr and the surrounding areas.
“I think it’s just in the general area, anywhere that you’re going to have open land like that that you’re going to have ATVs being used,” Edmundson said.
He urged Pharr residents and others throughout the county to observe the laws when using ATVs, and to mind safety protocols to avoid injuries.
“Read the safety manuals,” Edmundson said. “I, myself, have never operated one, so I don’t really know how they work. But just like any other motorcycle or any type of vehicle like that, safety tips would be to watch your speed and watch the terrain. The way you operate on the terrain could I imagine could cause sharp turning of the vehicle and could cause an accident.”
“Be very careful with passengers you may have,” he continued. “Getting from point A to point B shouldn’t be utilized for racing or any off-roading unless you’ve been trained in something like that. Mostly the majority of the people probably have not been trained in that type of operation of the vehicle, so it causes a danger in itself.”
The driver of the ATV was transported to a local hospital for medical attention. Pharr police are continuing to investigate Saturday’s accident.
