Doctor, Nurse Work to Prevent ATV Fatalities in Kentucky

Two health care professionals are traveling around Kentucky in an effort to reduce the number of fatalities stemming from crashes involving all-terrain vehicles.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Carol Wright, a nurse and pediatric trauma care coordinator at the University of Kentucky, and Dr. Karen Lommel, an emergency room resident at UK, have been visiting areas in the state and urging the need for safety.

Lommel recommended basic safety precautions including wearing helmets and boots, riding vehicles that are the right size and staying off paved roads.

According to data from the Insurance institute for Highway Safety, Kentucky had the highest number of ATV deaths in the nation from 2007 to 2011. The state recorded 122 deaths in that time period.

Officials say the terrain and the culture lead to accidents.

“Our state has a very rural community, and there is a big machine that is not being used as it is designed,” said Dr. Joe Iocono, associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at UK.

In addition, Iocono said many who ride don’t wear protective gear and many accidents happen in areas that are distant from hospitals.

People “just don’t realize the risks,” Iocono said.

Wright and Lommel say they are especially trying to get their safety message to men ages 20 to 40 and to mothers because some accidents involve children.

UK’s hospital treated 769 patients from January 2010 to July 2014 for trauma caused by ATVs. Of those, 163 were children. Data show 23 adults and one child died.

“It’s very hard to change a culture,” Lommel said.