A tragic accident brings to light a dangerous problem in Plaquemines Parish. To help solve it, the sheriff's office said it is renewing its policies and doing stricter enforcement on anyone illegally riding a four-wheeler.

The move comes after a tragic accident killed 13-year-old Tylar Rupp Wednesday.

A group of Rupp's classmates gathered along the side of Louisiana Highway 23, where flowers, pictures and a cross covered a grassy area near where Rupp died.

Witnesses said Rupp was one of three on four-wheelers crossing the highway. The first two made it across, Rupp was hit by a truck.

"My wife was in (her) car, Tyler waited for her to pass, then he darted out and hit the truck. He didn't see it," said Glenn Mistich, a Plaquemines Parish resident. Mistich said his family also owns an all-terrain vehicle, but owns private property where his family rides.

Four-wheelers in neighborhoods and on highways are not only dangerous, they are illegal. Authorities said they are also a routine sight in rural Plaquemines Parish.

"We're not supposed to ride on the levees and it brought them to the highways more than normal, I think," said Mistich.

It is a dilemma the parish government and the sheriff's office said they are constantly working on. Deputies do educational programs for parents and issue citations when they see a four-wheeler on the highway, but it does not seem to help.

Parish President Billy Nungesser said there are at least two separate projects underway using private land set aside specifically for four-wheelers. But plans were held up during the storm, and are still in the works.

"It's not something easily solved. You don't want to take someone to jail, take their vehicle away. To get anywhere you have to travel on the road or load (the ATV) on a trailer and take it. Parents can't load them up and take them anytime they want to use it. It's a difficult situation," he said.

A fund has been set up at Regions Bank to help pay for burial expenses for Tylar Rupp.