A 17-year-old Lebanon boy fell about 40 feet to his death while riding an ATV on Sunday, Sept. 25.
Zachary S. Banks, 17, was a passenger on a six-wheel ATV operated by George Newman, 38.
They were riding off Quartzville Road about 15 miles east of Sweet Home, Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller said. While attempting to negotiate a sharp corner, the ATV left the gravel road and crashed about 40 feet below the road.
Banks was ejected from the ATV and suffered fatal trauma as a result, Mueller said. The ATV had no seatbelts.
The crash occured at about 9:30 a.m. and was reported to the Sheriff’s Office at 10:15 a.m.
The ATV had been modified by the owner, Newman, Mueller said. The ATV is a a six-wheeled vehicle with the engine in the back. The operator of the ATV and the passenger sit in line with the passenger above and behind the operator.
The ATV is turned by applying brakes to the wheels, similar to the method used to turn a tracked vehicle, like a Caterpillar.
Banks’ body was taken to Huston-Jost Funeral Home in Lebanon.
The incident remains under investigation.