Originally published March 29, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified March 29, 2007 at 2:02 AM
Off-roading fun turns fatal in sand dunes for Newcastle boy
A newcastle boy is among three people who have died recently in accidents related to off-road activities in the sand dunes at Columbia Basin...
MOSES LAKE — A Newcastle boy is among three people who have died recently in accidents related to off-road activities in the sand dunes at Columbia Basin recreation areas.
Spencer Whitman, 10, was pronounced dead Sunday morning following an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident at the sand dunes near Beverly, Grant County.
Two deaths and a serious injury to a 5-year-old were reported the past weekend. At least 25 accidents resulting in injury were reported Saturday and Sunday at the Horn Rapids Off-Road Vehicle Park in Richland, where a 12-year-old boy died a week earlier.
"If we had a boxing tournament with these kinds of injuries, it'd be shut down in a hurry," said Dr. Steven J. Kincaid, a surgeon who treated some of the injured at Kadlec Medical Center in Richland.
According to witnesses, Spencer, who was wearing a helmet, lost control of the quad-runner at a high rate of speed, Deputy Coroner Lynette Henson said.
"He made a jump with the vehicle in the hardpan area of the sand dunes park," Sheriff's Deputy John Turley said. "The impact of the strike forced the 10-year-old into the handlebars and the hard ground."
The boy's parents said he was an experienced rider.
On the same day, about 15 miles to the east, David R. Row, 64, of Federal Way, collapsed while trying to dislodge his motorcycle after it got stuck in sand on a race course during a hill climb in the dunes near Royal City, Turley reported.
Speed and trauma did not appear to be involved, and Row likely had a heart attack, Henson said.
Autopsies on the bodies of Spencer and Row were pending.
In a third case, a 5-year-old boy was seriously injured while riding with his father on a recreational vehicle in the dunes eight miles south of Moses Lake. The father escaped injury, but the boy was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane for treatment for a lacerated liver, a punctured lung and severe lung bruising.
"As they traversed a large sand dune, the quad-runner flipped and both dad and son went over backward," Turley said.
![]()
A teenage boy was transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of a head injury with internal bleeding, Kincaid said.
On March 17, Blake Webb of Rathdrum, Idaho, was practicing on the Horn Rapids course when he crashed his motorcycle over a double jump and was hit by another rider, Douglas Wold, 19, of Walla Walla, who made the jump and was unable to stop after landing just in front of the fallen boy.
Four men attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but were unable to revive Blake and he died at the scene.
"Parents may be enthusiastic [about their children riding motocross], but to me this is a public nuisance," Kincaid said.
With protective gear required for all riders at the off-road vehicle park, 25 injury crashes on a race weekend "seems like a lot," Richland fire Battalion Chief Curt Walsh said. "We consider it a dangerous sport."
More supervision of the young riders is needed, Walsh said.
"We wouldn't let these kids ride a motorcycle this way on pavement, but for some reason it is different on an ORV course," he said.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Property taxes: Appeals shoot up is King, Snohomish Counties
Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
Seattle safety project: A snake shelter on Beacon Hill

Tribal Fireworks Rivalry
The Fourth of July marks a long-standing fireworks rivalry between two clans of a Native-American family in Suquamish.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new car? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Palin takes to Web for hints of political future
- Fourth of July festivals and fireworks in Seattle, the suburbs and beyond
- The Blotter | Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
- Russell Branyan, Mariners fight off the Red Sox
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Desert-lobster dispute turns pair into sagebrush heroes
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
- Rob Johnson's double in 11th powers Mariners past Red Sox, 7-6
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
755 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/04 game thread
244 - Reports: NKorean missile arrives at launch site
100 - Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
99 - Palin's Declaration of Independence
73 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
59 - Mariners score unlikely win over Red Sox in battle of bullpens
58 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
48 - Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
41 - Plasma and LED beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
27
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Going to Gas Works Park? Good luck
- Liven up Fremont's attempt to break a world record for a 'zombie walk'
- Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
- Lynnwood's City Bank gets tighter scrutiny
- Yakima teacher reprimanded for sending 5-year-old student home with bag of feces in backpack
- Retail Report | Pet-supply shops grow while other retailers fade
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling'
- Fire sends service providers scrambling
- Oregon woman obsessed with rabbits back in jail





