Sunman Man Hurt In ATV Crash

Monday, December 19, 2011 at 6:29 AM

(Brookville, Ind.) – An all-terrain vehicle rider was injured after crashing the off-road vehicle with improperly working brakes, said Indiana Conservation Officers.

Brian E. Pierce, 22, of Sunman, was operating the ATV on flat, muddy terrain on private property along Goose Creek Road west of Brookville at about 3:43 p.m. Sunday.

Pierce was braking to stop the vehicle as to not cross onto the neighboring property when the accident happened, according to Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Corey Norrod.

“The investigation revealed the ATV did not have properly working rear brakes”, Norrod said. “When the front brakes of an ATV are applied quickly, just like a bicycle, the weight transfer can cause a person to go over the handlebars and the vehicle to flip over the top of them. This appears to be what happened here.”

Pierce was transported to Margaret Mary Community Hospital in Batesville and eventually transferred to Bethesda North Hospital in Cincinnati for injuries he suffered to his upper leg and pelvic areas.

Pierce, an experienced ATV rider, was not wearing any protective gear at the time of the incident.

The ATV involved weights approximately 400 pounds which is light in comparison to many of the ATVs being manufactured which weigh in excess of 700 pounds, conservation officers said.