Tragic ATV Accident Takes Life of Young Girl

A tragic accident outside a house in Tiger claimed the life of a Clayton girl Saturday afternoon.

Emily Thompson, 6, was the passenger on an all-terrain vehicle driven by a 16-year-old boy, according to Trooper 1st Class Travis Sanders of Georgia State Patrol Post 7 in Toccoa.

Sanders said Thompson was seated in front of the operator when the vehicle accelerated briefly toward a parked pickup truck on a paved parking pad.

“The driver steered to the left to avoid striking the parked vehicle,” Sanders said.

As a result, the ATV laid over onto its left side.

“She received a fatal injury from the four-wheeler overturning,” Sanders said.

The incident happened at 5:11 p.m. Saturday.

The investigation into the accident is not complete yet, and troopers are not releasing the name of the ATV operator.
A gofundme page to help the family with funeral and other expenses already had raised more than triple its goal as of Sunday night.