Teen, 16, killed in ATV crash at Busco
By Laura Collins
Published in News on August 10, 2010 1:46 PM
A Lexington teen has died after an accident at a local recreational park Friday night.
Joshua Dylan Horne, 16, of Lexington, died after he crashed his ATV at Busco Beach ATV Park and Campground, according to the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.
Wayne County Sheriff's deputies were called to Busco Beach to investigate the fatality that happened shortly before midnight on Friday. Only one person was involved in the accident.
Sheriff's Office Capt. Tom Effler said Horne, who was at the park with relatives, drove his ATV into an embankment and was thrown from the four-wheeler. Effler said EMS responded, as well as the medical examiner. Horne was pronounced dead at the scene.
Busco Beach officials said their park isn't inherently unsafe.
"Under normal conditions, people ride here all the time and (safety) is not an issue," owner Jack Bennett said. "We take safety very seriously out there. The nature of the bikes is reason to be safety conscious all the time."
Effler said the Sheriff's Office could not confirm whether Horne had been drinking, but investigators did say alcohol was found at the scene that could have belonged to him or a relative.
Bennett said the park "works diligently" to control underage drinking and to promote safety including hiring off-duty deputies to patrol the park and having emergency officials readily available.
While Busco Beach permits the consumption of alcohol at the park, Bennett said the facility does not sell alcohol and employees "absolutely, unequivocally do not allow underage drinking."
"We do not have a serious problem at all," he said. "We occasionally have some underage people who slip and drink, but we do scrutinize underage drinking very closely."