17-Year-Old Boy Dies After His ATV Wheel Falls Off, Causing Him to Lose Control and Crash into Tree

Raul Zamora was wearing a helmet, but suffered serious injuries and died at the scene in Fresno County, Calif.

NEED TO KNOW

• A 17-year-old boy died on the side of a California roadway after a wheel came off the ATV he was driving on Thursday, March 26
• The teen lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree, according to reports
• On average, more than 800 people die each year from riding off-highway vehicles, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said

A 17-year-old boy is dead after a wheel detached from an ATV he was driving along a California roadway, causing the vehicle to crash into a tree. 

On Thursday, March 26, just before 10 p.m. local time, officials were dispatched to reports of a traffic accident on Colusa Avenue in Five Points, FOX affiliate KMPH, NBC affiliate KSEE and The Fresno Bee reported.

An investigation showed that a teen, later identified as 17-year-old Raul Zamora, was driving a red Yamaha Raptor 700R ATV north on the dirt shoulder of Colusa Avenue. He was traveling around 45 mph when the left rear wheel came off the axle, KMPH reported. 

The teen lost control of the ATV and struck a pistachio tree. The impact ejected Zamora from the four-wheeler, which hit another tree before coming to a stop on the dirt shoulder.

Zamora was wearing a helmet, but suffered serious injuries, according to KMPH.

Despite receiving medical attention, the teen was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlets reported. 

The California Highway Patrol, the Coroner’s Office at the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and Yamaha did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that the dangers of driving ATVs include “overturning, collisions and occupant ejection.”

On average, more than 800 people die each year from riding off-highway vehicles, which include all-terrain vehicles, recreational off-highway vehicles and utility-terrain vehicles. Of the 2,448 deaths in the United States associated with off-highway vehicles from 2018 to 2020, almost 300 fatalities were among children under the age of 16, according to the agency. 

An investigation into Zamora’s death is ongoing.

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