A boy is dead and five other people are being treated in area hospitals after a crash between an ATV and a pickup truck near Waxahachie Sunday evening.
A boy is dead and five other people are being treated in area hospitals after a crash between an ATV and a pickup truck near Waxahachie Sunday evening.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said a 14-year-old driving a 2008 Polaris ATV with three passengers, ages 16, 14, and 12, was headed westbound on Boz Road, about 7 miles west of Waxahachie in Ellis County, just after 7 p.m.
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WATCH HEREDPS said a 70-year-old man from Red Oak and his passenger, a 70-year-old woman, were driving in a 2019 Ford Ranger headed northbound on Greathouse Road.
Investigators said the ATV failed to stop at the intersection and the truck, which DPS said had the right of way, struck the side of the ATV.
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SIGN UP Authorities believe the ATV flipped at least once before ending up in a ditch on the side of the road. DPS said the kids were thrown from the vehicle. Investigators said it was equipped with seat belts, but it didn't appear anyone was harnessed in.
Investigators said a 12-year-old boy, identified by the DPS as Wyatt Randle, did not survive the crash.
The 16-year-old was taken to Baylor Scott and White Hospital in Dallas in an unknown condition. One of the 14-year-old passengers was taken to Children's Medical Center in Dallas and the other 14-year-old was taken to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth.
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“This is a rural area, but we're a tight-knit area. This is our community, so the entire community is mourning the loss of life and it’s a tragic accident that could have been avoided," said Sgt. William Lockridge, with DPS.
Waxahachie Preparatory Academy released in a statement that the child killed was a student and two of the other children who suffered serious injuries are students.
"As our community grieves, please keep these children and their families in your prayers. Our hope and prayer is that Jesus will give these families the peace and comfort that only He can provide, that He will bring healing to the two who are recovering and that He will strengthen us all for the days ahead. We ask that you please respect their privacy," said Nathan Daves, M.Ed., Head of School.
A spokesperson for Waxahachie ISD said one of the other children injured is a student in the district.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the students and their families," said Waxahachie ISD in a statement.
The driver and the passenger of the pickup truck, who were both wearing seat belts, were taken to Baylor, Scott and White Hospital in Waxahachie in unknown conditions, DPS said.
Lockridge said about once a week in Texas there's an ATV crash. Last year nationwide, there were more than 700 ATV crashes.
“This is something that we're seeing across the state. It's a very dangerous trend. While this is a tragedy, we want to take this as a teaching moment to let people know that these things (vehicles) are fun. They're a lot of fun, but they're not built to be on public roadways," said Lockridge.
He went on to say that ATVs are meant for fields, trails and the woods and are not street-legal vehicles.
As the investigation into the crash is ongoing, he said no tickets have been issued.
DPS did say they want to warn others about the consequences of driving ATVs on public roadways.
"Our Texas State Troopers are going to be issuing tickets. We see this trend again across Texas and it's just something that's dangerous and doesn't need to happen," said Lockridge.
