A tragic single-vehicle ATV accident at the Indian Mountain ATV Park on Saturday afternoon resulted in the deaths of two adults and injuries to seven children, prompting emergency officials to declare a “Mass Casualty” incident due to the severity and complexity of the scene.

The incident occurred around 3:45 PM. Cherokee County Coroner Paul McDonald confirmed that the male driver of a Razor ATV was pronounced deceased at the scene. An adult female passenger in the same vehicle was critically injured and airlifted to a Birmingham trauma center, where she later succumbed to her injuries.

Seven children sustained injuries in the crash. The remote location and number of victims necessitated a massive multi-agency response, including four medical helicopters and at least three ground transport ambulances. Some victims were airlifted to Birmingham, with one child reportedly flown to Children’s of Atlanta. The last three children were transported by ground ambulance to Atrium Floyd in Rome, according to a final report from the Spring Garden Fire Chief. Due to the challenging conditions, it took more than two hours for all subjects to be transported from the scene.

Cherokee County EMA Director Shawn Rogers declared the situation a “Mass Casualty” incident. Rogers explained to WEIS Radio News that this declaration allows all responding emergency personnel to perform certain actions outside normal policies and procedures, ensuring optimal response coordination, on-scene operations, and recovery under the extremely difficult circumstances.

Coroner Paul McDonald further elaborated on the sequence of events. He told WEIS Radio News that the injuries and fatalities were the result of an initial collision between two ATVs. The male driver of the Razor ATV, involved in the fatalities, reportedly sped away from the collision site down a trail for approximately 150 feet before the vehicle rolled over and struck a tree, fatally injuring the driver. The two passengers in the other ATV were reportedly uninjured, although their vehicle sustained significant damage. Witnesses and bystanders at the scene bravely used another ATV to help roll over the crashed vehicle and rescue the entrapped victims.

Responding agencies included Spring Garden Fire, Piedmont Rescue and Ambulance, Atrium Floyd EMS, and the Cherokee County Coroner’s Office, with assistance provided by Cherokee County EMA.

All victims in the overturned Razor ATV were confirmed to be from Rome. No names have been released at this time as the investigation into the incident continues by the Coroner’s Office.