January 28, 2007 -- At around 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon in an off-roading area in Montana Vista, a man flipped his ATV.

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office said 53-year, Migual Ramirez was riding his ATV on Snoquallme Road when he went off a hill, was thrown 10 feet into the air and hit the pavement at a high speed.

Sheriff's deputies said Ramirez wasn't wearing a helmet and that's why he suffered serious trauma to his head. While he wasn't talking, Ramirez was conscious, but they felt his injuries were so severe that they decided to have the man airlifted to Thomason Hospital.

Deputies said Incidents with people riding ATV's in this area without the proper equipment happen almost every Sunday.

"The major problem is that most people are not wearing their proper head gear and we just ask the public to come out here and wear the proper equipment. It's become a major problem for us," said Mike Gonzales with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.

Ramirez remains in critical condition at Thomason Hospital.