Monroe County leaders take action following tragic weekend
MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A trail ride in Monroe County turned tragic this weekend, leaving one woman dead.
Monroe 911 received a call about an ATV accident on Sunday, January 26, shortly after midnight.
“Right now, these things just pop up at random out there. We have no idea until there’s an incident. And sometimes, as in the case of this past weekend, it was too late,” said Rubel West, President of Monroe County’s Board of Supervisors.
According to Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley, the victim was identified as 28-year-old Destiny Sims from Aberdeen.
It’s believed Sims was riding as a passenger when the driver lost control, throwing her from the four-wheeler.
West said they are drafting an ordinance to prevent future tragic events.
“They’ll have to come in and get a permit. If they don’t have a permit, they’ll be in violation. And we’ll know where (they’re) going and we can at least have law enforcement in the area to keep things from possibly getting out of hand,” said West.
The first responders believe it was a trail ride event with hundreds of people in attendance.
Officials had no prior notice or security presence.
Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said a similar ordinance passed in September has improved safety there.
“Since then, we have seen a decrease in it. The parameters set by this ordinance is all about the public safety and that’s what we focused on,” said Scott.
Scott said these events are required to have medical professionals and accessible entrances and exits.
“We had a lot of issues with them getting out on the public roads you know endangering the public itself. So, this is one reason our board of supervisors stepped up and helped us pass this. They’ve actually been moving to other counties and having them instead of trying to get the permits here,” said Scott.
The trail ride in Monroe County happened near 10217 Davidson Line Road in Prairie, MS, west of US 45 Alternate.
West said the board will have more information on the ordinance after their meeting next Monday.
At the time of the coroner’s arrival, the driver, who is unknown at this time, and the ATV were no longer on the scene.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s department is still investigating the accident.
