One teenager is dead and another wounded after two separate but similar accidents in Lapeer and Huron counties on Saturday, August 3.
Huron County Sheriff deputies were called Saturday evening to the scene of an all terrain vehicle accident in Lake Township, with the crash occurring on Sand Road, about half a mile east of State Park Road. Caseville Police also responded to the scene. Deputies learned that the ATV’s driver, a 12-year-old boy from Harrison Township, had been driving at a high rate of speed when he lost control and hit a tree. Emergency responders transported the boy to Scheurer Hospital, with the 12-year-old later transferred out-of-county for more specialized care.
Earlier that same day, a 14-year-old Lapeer County boy was killed when the utility terrain vehicle he was riding in rolled onto its side. The Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office reports that emergency responders were dispatched shortly before 2:40 p.m. on Saturday to a home on Klam Road in the village of Otter Lake. The accident occurred at the Marathon Township home while two brothers, ages 11 and 14, were driving a 2023 John Deere Gator UTV around their yard. Though a parent was at the home during the accident, the sheriff’s office did not say if the boys were being actively supervised in the UTV.
Investigation determined that the accident occurred when the 11-year-old driver attempted to make a curve but instead drove over a large bush, which lifted the UTV’s front and sent it rolling onto its left side. The 14-year-old had not been wearing a seatbelt, and became trapped under the vehicle’s metal roof support. It ultimately took a tractor being used to free the boy, with a floor jack and quad runner also tried during rescue efforts.
Despite being freed, the 14-year-old ultimately passed from his injuries shortly after arrival at an out-of-area hospital. According to the sheriff’s office, the crash remains under investigation.
