Young teen killed in Amwell ATV crash
Anthony Maffio
A view of Shipe Run Road, where a 13-year-old boy was killed in an ATV accident late Thursday night.
A 13-year-old boy died of injuries suffered late Thursday night when an all-terrain vehicle on which he was a passenger went off the 400 block of Shipe Run Road in Amwell Township and crashed into trees.
Anthony M. Maffio of Shipe Run Road, Amwell, was taken to Washington Hospital, where he died of head injuries. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco ruled the cause of death as accidental.
State police said the ATV, driven by a 16-year-old identified as Jax Stock of Washington, went off the road about 11:40 p.m. and hit a tree stump before hitting other trees. Both riders were thrown from the ATV, which came to rest over a small embankment.
Stock was flown to UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh, where he was listed in fair condition Friday afternoon.
Neither teen wore a helmet or protective clothing, police said. State police are continuing their investigation into the crash and what the teens were doing Thursday night.
Trinity Area School District, where both teens were students, canceled the Arts Day planned for Friday. Maffio was in eighth grade at Trinity Middle School, while Stock is a student at Trinity High School.
The district’s crisis team was called to the schools very early Friday morning in order to give support to students and staff, said Dr. Michael Lucas, assistant superintendent. Grief counselors met with students and the faculty.
“This is very painful news for our whole community,” Lucas said. “Our entire Trinity community is deeply saddened with the loss of Anthony Maffio.”
A message concerning the 13-year-old’s death was sent out Friday morning to parents.
“This is every parent’s nightmare playing out in front of us,” Lucas said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Anthony’s family. We could not imagine the pain they are experiencing.”
Lucas said grief counselors will likely continue to be available to students for the remainder of the school year. Several students went home Friday to be with their parents.
“This is likely the first time our students have had to deal with such a tragic event,” Lucas added. “We are just beginning the long process of healing.”
Anthony is the second teen in this area to die in an ATV crash in the last week. Samuel Thomas Young, 17, of Wayne Township, was killed Sunday afternoon when the ATV he was operating crashed into two trees near his home. He was pronounced dead at the scene.