WATERBORO — Authorities are investigating whether charges should be filed in the wake of an ATV accident that seriously injured a 14-year-old boy from Saugus, Mass.

The accident occurred around 9:45 p.m. Friday, as the boy was turning from Blueberry Lane into a local campground, according to John MacDonald, spokesman for the Maine Warden Service. The ATV rolled over, said MacDonald.

“The boy did have a helmet, but it was loosely fit and perhaps fell off when the crash occurred,” MacDonald said.

The boy was originally taken to Goodall Hospital in Sanford but was later taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland by LifeFlight helicopter. Authorities did not specify the exact nature of his injuries and are not releasing his name.

The boy was driving a Polaris 700, which MacDonald described as a “fairly large” machine. The boy was riding with a friend of similar age who was operating his own ATV.

State law requires drivers to be at least 16 years old to operate an ATV on property not owned by their family. Some exceptions are made if drivers complete a training course, MacDonald said.

It’s unclear whether the boy had taken such a course and whether the family owned the land where the accident occurred.

“Operator inexperience appears to be a contributing factor,” MacDonald said.

Staff Writer Randy Billings can be contacted at 791-6346 or at:

rbillings@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @randybillings

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