Thomasville, GA : Grady teen dies in ATV crash on Pierce Chapel Road on Sunday, June 5, 2016

A Grady County teen was killed and his brother injured Sunday when the all-terrain vehicle (ATV) in which they were traveling left Pierce Chapel Road.

Luke William Martin, 16, 770 Pierce Chapel Road, was operating a 2010 Honda Rancher shortly before 7 p.m. His brother, Tyler Martin, 14, of the same address, was a passenger.

“They were southbound on Pierce Chapel Road,” said Sgt. First Class Tommy Peeples, Thomasville Post 12 Georgia State Patrol commander. “The operator turned his head to the right to talk to his brother.”

As the driver turned his head, the ATV traveled off the west shoulder of the road.

The Rancher struck a private driveway culvert, causing the vehicle to vault over the driveway, Peeples said.

“The vehicle then struck a large bush, then a tree,” the commander said. “The operator was ejected, striking the tree. The passenger came to rest in a ditch.”

The driver was transported to Grady General Hospital in Cairo, where he was pronounced dead.

The 14-year-old was transported to Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville for treatment of a broken arm.

Peeples said ATVs are not equipped with seat belts.

“ATVs should not be on a public roadway,” he added.

Source :
Grady teen dies in ATV crash