Man in critical condition after being struck by 18-wheeler while riding his ATV

Wile all you people site around passing judgment, you might want to think about the three small children Paul left behind. Not only did this one mistake cost him his life, it will affect them & all the people that loved him for the rest of ours. Oh yes he had a family to, & if everyone was not so worried about that tourist dollar they stop & think young people have no where to ride these things. Or skateboards either. Their some food for thought.

wow this was a terrable accident, but to say they need to "man up" is uncall for. When you lose a famliy member what ever they did to get in that perdicument is besides the point. A lost is a lost

There is of course, two sides two every coin and what some of you seem to overlook is the guy who hit him is probably pretty torn up for knowing he was part of an accident that ended up killing a man. There is a huge problem with ATVs on public roads in southeast NC and this won't be the last issue like this. There are complete morons who ride them around Leland all the time. Usually little kids who's parents are to dumb and ignorant to realize how much trouble their kids can get into with these things in such populated areas. My condolences to the family and friends but regardless of the emotional factor, this is in the same area as a drug overdose. The man was doing something clearly dangerous and paid the price for it. There is nowhere to point a finger at and blame anyone. These atvs are fast and offer 0 protection in the case of a collision. I hope whoever hit him recovers from the mental stress they will most likely have to endure.

From the story:"It's not clear why Ballard was riding his ATV in the road, but it's illegal to drive them on public streets under most circumstances." Let me guess, he was in the street because he was drunk or just plain stupid.