RAGDOLL MX Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 CHLORIDE, Ariz. — Riding all-terrain vehicles in the hilly countryside was a frequent pursuit for 13-year-old Rikki Howard and her 10-year-old sister, Casie Hicks, and their family, a neighbor said Monday. The hills, visible from the family's mobile home, also are popular with other ATV riders, Seth Johnson said. But the terrain and clumps of brush concealed a derelict mine shaft, not uncommon in a state with a long history of gold and silver prospecting. Rikki and Casie were riding an ATV with their father Saturday night outside this northwestern Arizona community, a collection of homes scattered in the desert, when their vehicle plunged into the 125-foot-deep shaft. Rikki was found dead in the shaft the next morning. Casie was upgraded to serious condition Monday at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. Johnson said the family was staying in Las Vegas with Casie, but he spoke to the girls' father Sunday afternoon. "They're just about as distraught as humans can be," said Johnson. No one answered a knock Monday at the family's home, a single-wide trailer home on a roughly one-acre lot that also holds Johnson's trailer and about six other small trailers and motor homes. A motorized, pink and purple children's car sat in front of the family's home, along with a dirt bike and some pickup trucks. The girls' father was riding ahead of them on a dirt bike Saturday evening until he realized that they were no longer with him. "They were having a holiday weekend jaunt riding ATVs in the mountains there," said Capt. Greg Smith of the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff's personnel searched throughout the night, but they weren't able to follow the ATV's tracks into the shaft until early Sunday, Mohave County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Sandy Edwards said. When the entrance was discovered, the father called out and one of the girls answered, officials said. Rescuers rappelled into the shaft and found the girls and their vehicle at the bottom. The mine shaft is next to a dirt road, concealed by brush and marked by no signs or barriers. The ownership of the shaft had not been determined, said Laurie Swartzbaugh, deputy director of the Arizona State Mine Inspector's office. She said many abandoned mines date back to the early 1900s and sometimes it's not possible to trace ownership. "There's a significant amount of abandoned mines out there that are hazardous to the public's health," she said. "Most of those mines are from old prospectors who would go in and they would mine and they'd just pick up leave." Swartzbaugh said that since Jan. 1 the office has secured 108 abandoned mines. Chloride is about 200 miles northwest of Phoenix, or 80 miles southeast of Las Vegas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanddunesaddict Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Sad to hear. There are a ton of mines that people still havent found up there.This is one more they will fill in now. My mom grew up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingnut Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 :praying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don29palms Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 That's terrible to hear about things like this. prayers go out to their families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUNE SMURF Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 that is very sad to hear :praying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sand chick Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 Very sad to hear our prayers go out to the friends and family :praying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 Maybe we should start a fund to help the family? I am in for $20.00. Pete can we do that thru the site with paypal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptorgirl Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 You're topic says "2 die in ATV accident". So did the 10 year old die also or only the 13 year old? Very sad either way I just wanted to make sure if it was one or both. Prayers go out to the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAGDOLL MX Posted September 4, 2007 Author Share Posted September 4, 2007 your right it does say 2 die, my bad, i was kinda in a hurry to put out the info and did that on accident. the younger girl is here in las vegas right now in critical condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBox_Kid Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 I caught this on the news last night and it turned into an ATV safety blowup!! To top it off the hole for the mine looked like I could drive a garbage truck in it and not even touch the sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadracer Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 I caught this on the news last night and it turned into an ATV safety blowup!! To top it off the hole for the mine looked like I could drive a garbage truck in it and not even touch the sides. your right...it was a big hole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingnut Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 your right...it was a big hole You said big hole!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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