11-year-old injured in Morgantown when off-road vehicle hits motorcycle
MORGANTOWN, Ind. (WISH) — An 11-year-old boy was hit by a motorcycle while driving an off-road vehicle on Sunday afternoon.
According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the boy was riding on a Monster Moto mini-bike along Whetstine Road in Morgan County, following behind his grandfather, who was on a lawnmower.
The boy was trying to turn around in the road when he pulled in front of a motorcycle driven by 62-year-old Wayne Luther.
The 11-year-old was not wearing safety gear when the accident occurred and suffered injuries to his wrist, torso and leg.
He was taken to IU Health-Morgan before being transferred to Riley Hospital for Children. Indiana DNR officials say he is in stable condition. The other driver was not injured in the crash.
As of July 1, 2017, all minors in Indiana are legally required to wear helmets while riding any kind of all-terrain or off-road vehicles. This Indiana law is known as the Play for Kate law, named after Kate Bruggenschmidt of Warrick County, who was only 11 years old when she was killed in an ATV accident. Violators of this law can receive a $500 ticket.
DNR officials say they do not believe that drugs or alcohol played a role in causing the crash.