A Horizon City neighborhood is reeling after a 3-year-old boy died Tuesday when an all-terrain vehicle hit him as he crossed a street in El Paso County. Deputies were called to the 600 block of Endwall Street at about 6:07 p.m. Emergency crews rushed the child to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Authorities have not said why the child was in the roadway or whether anyone was with him at the time.
Investigation details
According to KVIA, preliminary findings from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office indicate an ATV traveling southbound in the 600 block of Endwall struck the boy. Sheriff Oscar Ugarte called the crash “heartbreaking and preventable” and stressed that ATVs are not allowed on public roadways. The sheriff’s office says it will continue cracking down on illegal ATV use on streets, including impounding vehicles that are operated where they are not permitted.
ATV rules and enforcement
State law generally keeps off-highway vehicles off public highways, with the Texas Transportation Code carving out only narrow exceptions for brief crossings or limited municipal approval on certain low-speed roads. The Texas Transportation Code spells out requirements for crossing highways, registration, and limited daytime operation in specific situations, and it lets local governments restrict use even further. Those rules give officers clear legal backing to ticket riders or seize ATVs that are being driven on public streets in violation of state or local regulations.
Safety context
National safety officials have long warned that ATVs and kids are a dangerous mix. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recent reports show thousands of emergency-room visits tied to off-highway vehicles and an uptick in deaths, and the agency repeatedly tells riders to stay off paved roads and stick to age-appropriate machines and helmets. The CPSC says children are hit especially hard in ATV crashes and that riding on public streets only increases the risk. Those long-standing warnings echo the concerns voiced by local officers after Tuesday’s deadly collision.
What comes next
El Paso County Sheriff’s investigators are still working the case, and no charges have been announced. The office has not disclosed why the child was in the roadway, according to KVIA. Officials say the Special Traffic Investigations unit will release more details as its work continues. For now, the sheriff’s office is again stressing that off-highway vehicles are meant for trails and private property, not neighborhood streets.
