WINDHAM (AP) — A 19- month-old boy died Monday from injuries sustained when the all-terrain vehicle he was riding on with his father and two other children flipped over, officials said.
The boy was riding between his father’s legs with two other children ages 4 and 6 on the back when the machine toppled backward while climbing a hill Sunday on private property in Windham, said Cpl. John MacDonald from the Maine Warden Service.
The ATV operator’s toddler son was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he died Monday.
None of the passengers was wearing helmets, which is a violation of state law requiring protective headgear for youngsters, wardens said.
But the father wasn’t violating state law by letting his son ride with him; it’s not illegal as long as the vehicle isn’t being operated recklessly, they said.
The identities of the young victim and his father weren’t immediately released. The Maine medical examiner’s office planned an autopsy.
The Maine Warden Service will be working with the district attorney to determine exactly what happened. Windham police and Cumberland County deputies assisted.
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