Rider Hits Deer

If you have rode with us in the past then you know that we have just a few rules that we follow at Ruff Riders Adventures when riding the trails. #1 always ride with a buddy, #2 if you have a helmet wear it, #3 ride at a speed that you are comfortable with on the trails and #4 always bring extra gas and items to fix a flat tire. Here is an example of why we have these rules.

On February 6, 2010 we had a trail ride at Daisy State Park. The ride started at 9:00 am and would end at 5:00 pm. There were five of us that rode these trails, taking pictures and gathering GPS information. The riding group today consisted of Dee Ratliff Jr ( D.J.), Roger Latsha, Kevin Smith, Terra Smith and their son Griffin. The group left the parking area at 9:45 am and the trail was rocky and steep, so it was slow going for 4 hours. After that the trails got smoother and we covered a lot of ground. At 4:00 pm the group stopped to talk to each other and decided that we would turn around and head back to the parking area. From this point it was going to go downhill for one of us and he didn't even know it. We were about half way to the parking area when D.J. spotted some deer on the edge of the road. He was trying to get pictures of them when a truck came by and scared them up a small hill. So, off D.J. went to get some pictures of the deer before the group could catch up and scare them off even more. D.J. lost sight of the deer and was putting the camera in his front shirt pocket when he glanced back up he seen the deer shooting across the trail just in front of him. D.J. was in the process of slowing down, but as the third one came across it was too late. He hit the deer with his right front bumper on his ATV and it flipped and then twisted in the air with the ATV landing on him. The ATV then rolled over him and landed on its side by a ditch with the tires pointed up in air and it eventually rolled over on its left side to a stop. The group was racing up the trail to see if the worst had happened. As they got there D.J. was laying on his back. He got up to go and turn his ATV back over, when they yelled at him to stop. As we sat there for 30 minutes asking D.J. if he was ok and talking about what had happen D.J. said "I don't know if I hit the deer or not but I remember saying damn this is going to hurt and I didn't get the picture." If he had rode the trail by his self or had not had the helmet on D.J. might not had made it. There were no tracks on the trails, which meant no one had been on the trails in sometime and it would and taken hours to get him to a hospital from where he was at.

Other than a bruised left shoulder, leg and knee, D.J. is doing very good. Thankfully his son Landon was not with him during this ride, which he almost always is. On this day Landon told his Dad that he didn't want to go ride, but wanted to stay home instead. Someone was looking out for him and we all know who it was, and thank you. The four wheeler was not damaged if you can believe it.

From Dee Ratliff Jr. ( D.J.)

I like to ride trails to get pictures to show you the beauty of our natural State. I will be riding again once my body stops aching and I can convince my wife to let me out of the house!! Thanks for your concerns and emails. Sorry there are no pictures of the four wheeler and the crash site but here are a few pictures of the helmet and me.