By Hugh Fisher
hfisher@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY – A tragic accident claimed the life of a 7-year-old child on Thanksgiving afternoon.
At 2:53 p.m. Thursday, emergency responders were called to the scene of an ATV accident at 1735 Country Hill Dr. , which is off Sherrills Ford Road in the western part of the county.
An 11-year-old on the four-wheeler also was injured.
According to radio traffic, rescue crews started CPR on the 7-year-old, but responders reported the child dead at the scene a few minutes later.
The 11-year-old was airlifted to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
According to Detective A. Loflin of the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the older child was conscious, “but with injuries serious enough for Life Flight.”
Detectives declined to release the victims’ names, or any information regarding the incident.
“Just a horrible accident,” Loflin said.
Sheriff’s Office investigators said later in a release that a witness told them the 7-year-old was driving the Arctic Cat 550 all terrain vehicle when it flipped.
The boys had been riding the four-wheeler most of the day. They went in for lunch, and about 30 minutes after they went back to riding, another juvenile alerted adults of the accident.
The witness said they boys on the ATV came around the side of the residence at a high rate of speed and flipped the four-wheeler completely over while attempting a turn.
Several people were gathered at a home about 50 feet away from where the ATV stood upright in the front yard.
One man fell to his knees crying.
Locke Fire Department, Rowan County EMS and the N.C. Highway Patrol also worked on the scene.
Contact Hugh Fisher via the editor’s desk at 704-797-4244.