Man dies after ATV accident

A Mulvane man has died after sustaining life-threatening injuries during an all-terrain vehicle accident earlier this month.
Sumner County Sheriff Gerald Gilkey says 48-year-old Norman Wilber Frecka was driving his 1987 Honda ATV in the 1400 block of N. Easy Road in Mulvane at around 12:26 a.m., on Wednesday, June 17 when he struck a parked semi-trailer belonging to Salina Wrecker Service and Transport. The owner of the trailer was asleep in his home at the time of the crash.
Frecka was transported to Wesley Medical Center where he died on Friday, June 26, Gilkey said.
Alcohol is a suspected factor in the death, the sheriff said.
Gilkey says this is the first fatal ATV wreck this year, though numerous reports related to ATVs — such as complaints and injury accidents — keep coming in as the summer progresses.
“We live in a rural community, so ATVs are just a part of our lives — just need to ride smart, ride safe and wear your safety equipment,” said Gilkey.
Last year, a 22 year-old Conway Springs man lost his life after he was struck by a pickup while riding an ATV.
Jarod Zoglmann, who was driving a Honda Banshee ATV, was struck in the 1000 block of West 60th Avenue near Conway Springs after a truck topped a hill and after trying to avoid the ATV, struck the Conway Springs man.
Since 1982, Kansas has had 108 reported ATV deaths, according to atvsafety.gov.
Gilkey says those who love their ATVs and four-wheelers need to be educated on exactly what they are able to do legally with their vehicles.
“ATVs are now allowed on County roads as long as you are a person of age to have a driver’s license and you must have a valid driver’s license to operate an ATV and be on the roadway,” he said.
ATVs are not allowed on interstate, federal or state highways or within the limits of any city, unless authorized. Wellington is one of those cities, but an ordinance allowing the limited use of golf carts and ATVs will be considered at an upcoming city council meeting.
Kansas state statute also prohibits driving an ATV on any street or road between sunset and sunrise unless equipped with lights as required by law for motorcycles.