Being accountable on and off-road

[Rick]

I have met a lot of people who like to drink while off-roading. They believe that since they are "off-road" rules and common sense don't apply.

Below is the story of three lives that will be changed forever. One person decided to drink and drive and he killed a fellow off-roader and left another injured.

Seeing that the court set a 1million dollar bail for the drunk drivers bail I would be safe to say that they take drinking while off-roading seriously.
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By KELLY RAUSCH, Staff Writer

GLAMIS — The identities of a man killed and a woman injured in an off-road vehicle accident here Saturday were released today.

Wayne Neiss, 54, of La Habra sustained fatal injuries when the Sandrail off-road vehicle he was driving was broadsided by another Sandrail.

Neiss' passenger, Rose Solito, 37, was transported from the scene to Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley with major injuries. She was air-lifted that day to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.

An operations supervisor at Scripps said Solito was in fair and stable condition this morning.

Solito's city of residence was unavailable this morning.

Brandon Lee Anderson, 28, of Anaheim was driving a Sandrail on a large sand dune known as Oldsmobile Hill when he allegedly lost control of the vehicle and hit Neiss' vehicle.

Anderson was arrested and booked into county jail on various DUI and vehicular manslaughter counts, a California Highway Patrol press release states.

Anderson was being held on $1 million bond. As of presstime, Anderson was still in county jail

 

[rustytr]

Man, again people let's use common sense here. If you want to drink ride along with someone else or just wait untill you're done wheelin'. And if you need a drink that bad go back to camp or town or wherever, just as long as it's not in the vehicle, sheesh!

 

[95ExplorerLtd]

Guy who works with dad out at the mine was driving a sandrail and lost control and flipped it, really screwed up his neck. His little daughter was with him and wasnt injured. I believe he wasnt wearing a lap belt but she was. Alcohol wasnt involved, but a lack of common sense was. He had to wear one of those "halo" type things for a long time to fix the problem with his neck.

 

[Perry]

I don't know if this is the place to post this, but I will anyway.
I signed up on this web site a few months before the CCR2000 run. Then they started talking about having the CCR2000 run and since we live in Colorado we figured we would have to go. Up to this point we had never met any of the people on this site. Teri and I wondered what kind of people would be going on the trip and a lot of times you hear about people going up and drinking and partying, then they decide oh we came up to four wheel so lets go. Then you always here the bad part about people destroying the trails such as the mud thing here in Colorado with the radio station. Anyway we decided to go and signed up. When we got there Friday night they had a pot luck at the camp and we met some of the people. That night we decided we would have a good time. Next day we had a drivers meeting and a get together so everyone met each other. It was really good to see how professional everyone was.
We being none drinkers don't mind if others drink, but when it endangers others that is not cool. There was drinking done, but it was done at the camp after everyone was back.
We are glad we can be part of a great group of people thanks to Rick and glad they are strict on what you take and do on the trails. Because of this everyone can go home knowing they had a great time with a great group.
It makes me sad to know people have to do something stupid such as drinking that will ruin it for everyone when it is something that doesn't need to be done.
Thanks again to Rick for a great web site that people can get together and have fun.
Looking forward to meeting new people on the next run.

 

[Tars]

I'll just add this in here too, because it is of BIG concern to me. I am very much against drinking while in ANY motor vehicle. Where I do most of my wheeling, Silver Lake Sand Dunes, it is against park rules to bring any alcohol, ANY. People still do, we were at the beach there on Lake Michigan and watched the rangers confescate a whole cooler full of beer and escort four people out of the park for drinking. There is just no place for it!
My other point, I am an avid snowmobiler, if you ask me there isn't anything i'd rather be doing than riding, except in the summer when I want to be wheeling, but anyway, drinking and riding is a big issue right now in snowmobiling. Most accidents involve alcohol and every time I go to the bar to get a bite to eat, I am one of maybe four snowmobilers(usually the others are riding in the same group I am) NOT drinking. I can not imagine why people want to do that, it is enoughto control a snowmobile when you are sober. Another example, I was snowmobiling in the UP a couple months ago and we came up on this group on the side of the trail, I swear every one of them had their helmets off and were downing a cold beer! I couldn't believe it, looking back I really wish I had said something. I personally do not want to be riding the same trails as those people. Anyway I agree there is way too much drinking and driving or riding or whatever. Something needs to be done, even if it is just all of us saying something, polite of course, to people we see drinking and driving. Just let then know it is not acceptable behavior, and we will not tolerate it!

 

[kilroy]

Try drinking and riding a horse! Do that once and I guarantee you will NEVER do that again. One spook and game over man!

 

[Peter Weber]

I know what you mean, Kilroy.

I used to ride in my younger days. One time on a trailride, we had stopped and set up overnight camp. Had a few beers, nice campfire going. Then a few of us (including me) went on a little ride. When we got back, we just sat on our horses close to the campfire, having another beer. I had only 2 before we left and was just having one more, sitting there on my horse, leaning on my saddle horn. So I wasn't drunk by any means. A log cracked in the fire, sparks flew up, my horse spooked and reared and I went for a backwards flip off him.

Didn't spill a drop.

 

[Ru Dawg]

Originally posted by Peter Weber
I know what you mean, Kilroy.

I used to ride in my younger days. One time on a trailride, we had stopped and set up overnight camp. Had a few beers, nice campfire going. Then a few of us (including me) went on a little ride. When we got back, we just sat on our horses close to the campfire, having another beer. I had only 2 before we left and was just having one more, sitting there on my horse, leaning on my saddle horn. So I wasn't drunk by any means. A log cracked in the fire, sparks flew up, my horse spooked and reared and I went for a backwards flip off him.

Didn't spill a drop.

Yet another near case of "alcohol abuse".

On a more serious note, drinking and ANY type of riding just does not mix!! nuf said.