Cottage Grove ATV fatality is second of holiday weekend.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

COTTAGE GROVE - Cottage Grove resident Rex Daniel Munsell, 21, died Monday when the all-terrain vehicle he was riding struck a fence and power pole near 77828 Quaglia Road southeast of Cottage Grove. He was the second man to die in an ATV accident in Lane County over the holiday weekend.

No evidence at the scene indicated that alcohol was involved in the crash. A witness reported seeing Munsell driving about 55 mph on the road before the wreck, sheriff's Sgt. Steve Weir said Tuesday.

It is illegal and unsafe to use four-wheel ATVs on paved roads, Weir said. The machines are designed to slide on sand, gravel or vegetation in order to turn. On a hard surface, the vehicles are difficult to control.

"They don't turn. They actually grab. You can tip a lot easier," Weir said.

In a separate crash, Chehalis, Wash., resident William Lawrence Heitkemper, 38, died when his ATV overturned in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area near Florence on Saturday.

Neither man wore a helmet. Oregon law does not require helmet use by ATV riders older than age 18, although ATV safety groups recommend helmets, eye protection, padded clothing and sturdy boots for all ATV users.

Weir said most ATV injuries happen when riders surpass their skill level or the capabilities of their machine when trying to turn or jump.

The Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation, which issues permits for ATV use on public land, does not track ATV injuries and deaths in Oregon, department spokesman Rocky Houston said. Similarly, national data are incomplete because of inconsistent reporting among states, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.

However, a commission report in 2002 indicates that ATV deaths are about 1.5 per 10,000 ATVs in use - very near the level of fatalities before the much more hazardous three-wheel ATV machines were banned in 1988. Riders younger than age 16 account for 37 percent of injuries, the report said.

The Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, an ATV industry organization, disputes the government data and claims that the numbers show that injuries and deaths are rising slower than the growth in ATV sales.

Nationwide, more than 15 million people ride ATVs, according to industry data.

In Oregon, ATV users must hold a driver's license or be accompanied by a licensed driver or hold an operator's license issued after completing an ATV safety program to legally operate the most common four-wheel ATVs, Houston said. The state provides subsidies for youths younger than 16 who enroll in ATV safety programs, he added.

More safety information and safety class registration is available by calling [phone].