As child quad bike injuries soar officials are pleading with parents to never let their kids ride them

A mum-of-three has issued a warning against quad bikes after a crash on her property resulted in horror injuries.

Officials are pleading with parents to be careful with kids around quad bikes after an alarming rise in injury arrivals at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital – and say “children under 16 should never ride a quad bike as a driver or passenger.”

WCH’s trauma service treated eight patients aged between two and 15 from December to March injured by adult and child sized quad bikes.

Injuries included fractures, lacerations and head injuries, with some requiring operations and a stay in hospital.

There were no such presentations for the same period a year ago, and the eight incidents in four months compares to eight incidents in total for the whole of 2022 and 12 in 2023.

The safety call follows three quad bike deaths in SA so far this year, all involving adult men.

Nurse and single mother Dana Kirkland was brought up on a farm riding quad bikes and says she is a “lucky survivor” after a crash in 2021 resulted in nine broken ribs, a fractured clavicle and lung injuries.

“I had just kicked my then 12-year-old son off the bike who had all the safety gear on, I got on to get something on the other side of the paddock, I did nothing different than I had done before but it catapulted me off,” she said.

Ms Kirkland said the accident witnessed by her three young sons could have been far worse if it had been one of them riding.

“My sons are now definitely not allowed on a quad bike and I highly recommend you don’t allow your kids to ride a quad bike, they are very unpredictable, they are heavy and are just very very dangerous,” she said.

Quad bike accident victim Dana Kirkland when she was in hospital.

Quad bike accident victim Dana Kirkland with her child, Nate, now 13 when she spent 11 days in hospital. Picture: Supplied

Quad bike accident victim Dana Kirkland's X-ray.

Kidsafe SA chief executive Holly Fitzgerald said quad bikes can be killers and parents should ensure children under 16 never ride one as a driver or passenger.

“They are powerful and top-heavy with a high centre of gravity, making them susceptible to rolling over when used on unstable ground. An adult sized quad bike can weigh up to 400kg,” she said.

“If a child is involved in a rollover incident, they are at high risk of being crushed by the bike which can result in asphyxiation and serious head and spinal injuries. Children are still at risk on ‘child-sized’ quad bikes as they are still unstable and heavy in a roll over scenario.”

WCH pediatric trauma nurse consultant Jackie Winters said: “Quad bikes are not toys. We do not want to see another child become severely disabled, or even worse.

“Although children’s quad bikes are legal, we do not recommend allowing children to ride them, as they don’t have the right abilities or size to operate them in a safe way.”

Health Minister Chris Picton urged parents to “listen to the warnings from our doctors and nurses who see the terrible impact quad bike injuries have on kids – and keep children away from these dangerous situations.”

On April 7 an Eyre Peninsula man, 45, died at the scene of a quad bike accident at a Walkers Flat farm, 20km north of Port Lincoln.

On April 5 prominent fruit grower Ashley Graham Mason, 92, was injured in a quad bike crash in the Adelaide Hills and died in hospital the following morning.

On March 30 two quad bike riders crashed into a fence in a paddock and suffered serious injuries in a rural property near Port Broughton.

A 50-year-old Hackham man died at the scene and a 39-year-old Pennington man was flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Originally published as As child quad bike injuries soar officials are pleading with parents to never let their kids ride them