ATV plummets 100 feet into thick brush, killing man and two teens from NC, Tenn. cops say

Three people visiting Tennessee from North Carolina were killed Sunday in an ATV crash after plummeting more than 100 feet, the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office said.

A 13-year-old boy who was a fourth rider was taken to a Knoxville hospital in serious condition after the wreck that killed three from western North Carolina, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported.

The Sheriff’s Office said Ronnie Akins, 47, Dillon Akins, 19, and Jonathan Laws, 19, and the 13-year-old were visiting Windrock Park, an off-road adventure area, according to WBIR.

Their side-by-side ATV left a trail and “fell more than 100 feet into thick brush,” the Sheriff’s Office said, per WATE.

After receiving a call about the crash, it took rescuers more than an hour to get to the wreck because of the rough terrain, which forced them to “cut through brush and trees,” WXII reported.

When rescuers arrived, the three were already dead, according to WBIR.

Dillon Akins and Laws were 2018 graduates of North Buncombe High School, where they played football and basketball, per the Citizen-Times.

The basketball team remembered the alums on Facebook, saying “Our hearts are saddened as we mourn the loss of Johnny, Dillon and Dillon’s father. Johnny and Dillon were two fine young men. Our hearts and prayers are with their families.”

This story was originally published May 27, 2019 at 4:34 PM with the headline "ATV plummets 100 feet into thick brush, killing man and two teens from NC, Tenn. cops say."