Beaumont teen crashes homemade four wheeler

BEAUMONT -- A teenager crashed his homemade four-wheeler into a car in North Beaumont and paramedics raced to pull him from beneath the vehicle and rushed him to a hospital.

Djuan Stewart, 15, was hurt Wednesday afternoon in the crash on Detroit Street.  He was transported to Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth for medical care.

"Pray for my brother," said Damion Stewart. "Just pray for him."

He and his brother had rebuilt the four-wheeler Djuan was driving during the crash.  They had rebuilt dozens of four-wheelers.

Damion Stewart said he wasn't at the scene when Djuan crashed into a parked car but he has a good idea how it happened.

He said the homemade four-wheeler doesn't have brakes and the driver has to downshift to slow down and stop. He said when his brother went around the corner there was the parked car.  He hit the car and ended up beneath it.

"It's so unfortunate what happened to the young man, but with ATV's you have to be very respectful of the machine you are on," said Angie Morrill, marketing director at Golden Triangle Power Sports.

Morrill said it is important to wear the proper safety gear while riding off-road vehicles.

"What we say around here is you don't dress for the ride, you dress for the slide," she said.

Morrill shared tips for a safe ride.

Wear a helmet, goggles, mouth and chest protection as well as a long sleeves shirt, gloves, boots and long sturdy pants, she said.

"A lot of things can be very fun but can be dangerous if you don't take precautions," Morrill said.