ATV safety course planned after accidents rise by 183% in RGV

EDINBURG — Oliver Cantu was riding his ATV one day when something happened.

The 32-year-old Mission resident said he was driving too fast on a curve when he, as Oliver put it, “didn’t make it.”

“By the time I knew it I was already flipped over and the machine was on top of me,” Oliver said of why he spent 21 days in a hospital after the crushing weight of the ATV landed on top of him in an accident.

In the end, Oliver would lose his right leg.

His story was shared Tuesday morning at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, where DHR Health hosted an ATV safety and injury awareness event in response to harrowing and deadly crashes associated with all-terrain vehicles.

DHR Health Level I Trauma Center in partnership with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office also announced that they will be offering a free, hands-on class, the ATV Injury Prevention Course, designed to help educate the community on the importance of practicing safety when using an ATV.

According to Dr. Jeffery Skubic, trauma medical director at DHR Health, ATV accidents have increased by 183% in the Rio Grande Valley since 2018.

He explained that, unlike a motorcycle which can slide out from under a driver during a crash, an ATV can fall on the driver and crush them due to its weight.

“They’ve gotten faster and faster and faster over the years and it’s also very heavy, being a tall, heavy, four-wheeled device. Once it goes to flip over the momentum carries and it crushes you,” Skubic said.

He explained that cars are safer than ATVs due to cars having protection embedded in them such as airbags and seat belts.

“ATVs, there is no seat belt, there is no air bag, there is no protection,” Skubic said. “You go flying off it or you roll over (and) it’s your body hitting the ground. There is no door protecting you.”

He explained that the DHR Health Trauma Center has seen a variety of injuries spanning from traumatic brain injuries, internal decapitations, solid organ injuries such as liver and spleen; rib fractures and all kinds of broken bones, as well as flail chest and brain death.

“(I had a patient) that had the ATV roll over on them and basically crumple their entire chest, we call that a flail chest where all the bones are completely crumpled. … Between the two days, we probably spent about 10 to 12 hours reconstructing his chest,” Skubic said, adding that the patient was placed on ECMO, a life support device, and remained hospitalized for about two months.

“That gentleman lived on that for a month and he survived, and he’s home now.”

Skubic warned that if you’re going to operate an ATV, safety must always come first and to operate a vehicle that’s appropriate for one’s size and age.

“We’ve seen 7-year-old kids come in that were driving a full-size adult ATV. There is no way they can handle that … they don’t have any strength, they’re not sized for it, it’s ridiculous,” Skubic said.

Cassandra Bravo, trauma injury prevention coordinator, will be the ATV Safety Institute instructor for the course.

Bravo explained that she was certified by the ATV Safety Institute and hopes to motivate law enforcement and fire departments to become trainers themselves. The first course will be held Saturday at the Mars Family Sports Park, located at 24121 Farm-to-Market Road 1017 in Edinburg.

To register for the course visit form.jotform.com. More information about the time of the course will be provided by Bravo once approved for the course.

“They learn the basic riding skills, they learn about situational awareness so they have to pay attention to their surroundings, they also learn how to take care of their vehicles,” Bravo said, adding that throughout the course they’ll also be walking each attendee through what the different stickers on an ATV mean as well as the rules and regulations within Hidalgo County.

As of now, the course will be offered quarterly. Bravo hopes to eventually expand the course to Cameron, Starr and Willacy counties.

Those who wish to participate in the course are required to bring their own personal ATV, a helmet that is compliant with the Texas Department of Transportation, goggles or a face shield, gloves, long-sleeved shirt, pants and over-the-ankle boots and the owner’s manual for the ATV.

They also recommend participants to bring a light snack and bottled water.

For more information, call the Injury Prevention Division at (956) 362-6285 or email [email protected].