A single-vehicle all-terrain vehicle wreck outside Citronelle has claimed the life of a 25-year-old Mobile County man, according to information released by Alabama State Troopers.
Authorities identified the victim as Wilbur Weaver of the Citronelle area. Troopers say Weaver was operating a 2008 Yamaha ATV on West Coy Smith Highway, roughly five miles east of Citronelle, when the vehicle crashed shortly after 3 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon in late August. Weaver was rushed to USA Medical Center in Mobile, where he remained for several days before succumbing to his injuries.
Troopers noted that Weaver was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, a detail investigators often cite when reviewing ATV-related fatalities in rural Mobile County. West Coy Smith Highway is a narrow, two-lane rural route that winds through wooded and farm acreage northeast of Citronelle, an area where ATVs are commonly used for recreation, hunting access, and property work.
As of this report, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Highway Patrol Division had not released additional findings on what caused the ATV to leave the roadway or overturn. Troopers said the investigation remained open, and no further details were immediately available.
Citronelle, in far northern Mobile County near the Washington County line, sits along a network of rural highways where all-terrain vehicles are frequently driven both on private land and, at times, on public roads and shoulders. Local emergency responders in the area, including Citronelle volunteer fire and rescue units, are often the first on scene for ATV and off-road vehicle incidents given the rural terrain and limited highway access in the region.
ATV fatalities remain a persistent safety concern across South Alabama’s rural counties. Safety advocates and state troopers have repeatedly urged riders to wear helmets and eye protection, avoid paved highways designed for standard vehicle traffic, and never operate ATVs at high speed on unfamiliar terrain. Alabama does not require helmet use for adult ATV riders on private property, but troopers frequently note in crash reports whether a helmet was worn, given the strong correlation between head injuries and ATV fatalities in cases where riders go without one.
No further information about funeral or memorial arrangements was available at the time of this report. Alabama State Troopers said they would release additional details if the ongoing investigation turns up new information about the cause of the crash.