The devastation to families left behind to mourn the loss of a child is unmeasurable by any means, especially when it could have been prevented. Our son Austin was 15 years old when he was fatally injured in an ATV accident. Our lives will never be the same without him! Over the years thousands of families all across the globe have been affected in ways you could not begin to imagine from similar tragedies. We hope you never have to know this pain.
We live in a wonderful community that constantly expressed their love for Austin and genuine concern for our family. These people helped inspire us not to give up and that is why we are here. After Austin's tragedy, we started doing research on ATV accidents. We were shocked at the number of children who were killed from ATV-related injuries every year nationwide. While conducting our research, we ran across a whole network of parents who had gone through similar tragedies. We soon became members of Concerned Families for ATV Safety( a group of parents dedicated to reduce the number of ATV injuries and fatalities among children). We also noticed an overwhelming amount of child ATV deaths occurring right here in our state. For years, Kentucky has been a front runner in the highest number of ATV fatalities nationwide. In a two year period from 2006-2007, 76 children were fatally injured from ATV accidents in Kentucky alone. We just kept thinking about how many families and children's lives have been affected by this. In the name of our son we founded a non-profit organization with the hope that we could some how make a difference.
Our goal is to give back to the many people that gave us hope. Austin was a kind hearted, generous child who touched many people's lives. We hope to continue his legacy through this foundation. Our main objective is to spread ATV awareness so that other families may be spared the pain of loss that so many of us share.
In the memory of all the children who have lost their lives to ATV accidents, we strive to bring awareness through education and community outreach programs. The precious children we have lost is testament to the need for change and increased efforts to reduce the number of these life debilitating and fatal incidents.
