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Letter to the Editor: Concerns about Iron Mountain
Opinion
Is the Iron Mountain ATV park and resort a net revenue generator for Dawson and Lumpkin Counties or a major liability? As a former part-time resident at a similar ATV park, my experience is little net income will be generated. Instead, many unforeseen expenses will burden the community for years to come. My ATV park experience began with a waiver stating the facility has no responsibility if/when you are injured. In this environment, you can expect a combination of alcohol consumption, high speed ATVs & motocross, inexperienced riders and lack of common sense – all of which combine in a recipe for disaster. I’ve personally watched a father ejected from his dirt bike into a tree, resulting in facial trauma and two broken arms while his children watched. In an ATV facility, injuries like these can be a daily occurrence requiring professional and immediate EMS services to remove injured participants. Add to this mandatory life flight patient transport to the nearest trauma hospital (Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville or North Fulton Hospital in Alpharetta). People have died from accidents at parks like Iron Mountain – particularly juveniles riding dirt bikes without necessary training, experience or safety measures.