DOUGLAS, Ga. — A car collided head-on with an all-terrain vehicle (search) on a rural road, killing five children on the ATV and critically injuring a sixth, officials said.





Charges were pending Monday against the car's driver, Amanda Michelle Troupe, 29, said Gordy Wright, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

The children were on the ATV when the Lincoln sedan (search) crossed the centerline and hit the four-wheeler, said Joann Lacey, a radio operator in the Douglas state patrol post.

Wright said the state patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction team (search) would investigate and present evidence, including the results of a blood test on Troupe, to the district attorney.

One of the children killed, 14-year-old Coranne Megan Nelson, was driving the off-road vehicle, which is not permitted on a public street, without a driver's license.

The other victims were Dustin Varnedore, 11, and his 13-year-old sister, Kayla, of Wray; Lindsay Joiner, 13, of Douglas and Courtney Arsenault, 10, of Alma.

Heather Bass, 13, of Ambrose, was flown by helicopter to Memorial Medical Center in Savannah, where she was listed Monday in critical condition.

Coffee County Sheriff Rob Smith had to hold back tears when he talked with reporters about the accident in south-central Georgia.

"These young people were just beginning their life and some of them are my neighbors," he said.

The accident happened after 9 p.m. on Smith Cemetery Road, which separates Coffee and Irwin counties, about 10 miles northwest of Douglas, officials said.

Donna Reynolds, a farm safety specialist with the Georgia Farm Bureau (search), said she often sees children and adults riding ATVs on roads.

"People are riding ATVs everywhere and people look at them as a toy," she said. "They are not toys. Period."



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Five children riding one ATV?

That is sad my thoughts go out to all involved.

 

How do you fit 6 kids on 1 quad?? Its just terrible. But unfortunately, if she was not drunk or on drugs, there isn't much they can do to her.

 

OMG! 5 children!?...9Pm!?...riding a quad in the street!? I feel terrible for the parents. but they have some responsibilty here. F'n trajedy. WTF

 

im glad the parents watch there kids

 

I wanna bash the parents...but I don't know the entire situation...nothing worse could be done to them...

 

Just more ammunition to point against atv riders. It really is sad, but again its lack of good judgement and common sense. Wonder if their parents ever took the time to explain why you don't ride on the street, or why you shouldn't ride 6 people on an atv? My respects to them all and their families..... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

It had to be some kind of Gator or Mule type of utility atv, no way you could get 6 kids on one quad... its a terrible thing that happened, but you cant put much blame on anyone... and like Raptorjay said, none of us know the full story, so its best to just say we're sorry it happened...

 

What a terrible loss. It will be really interesting to hear the outcome of this. Let's see, the parents will claim zero accountability - the car driver wasn't paying attention for ATV's on the road at 9pm. Sue the manufacturer citing that the warning sticker only shows a warning picture of one passenger crossed out, not 5.

I can't imagine how the Manufactuer/Industry will be negqtively portrayed in this accident, but of course, I'm not an personal injury attorney.

 

My boys are age 9 and 12 and I cannot imagine losing one like that. I am a safety tyrant with them. We ride hard out in the dunes but there are fairly regular *** chewings when "code" is violated. Had to sit there and look a 3 dead kids on the road once who blew a stopsign and hit my wife. Hard to get the message through to kids that it can and will happen to you.