ST. ANTHONY — The death of a 13-year-old Lewiston teen from an ATV accident at the St. Anthony Sand Dunes earlier Wednesday has sent shock waves through many members of the Lewiston community and beyond.

    Hunter Christensen died while riding an ATV at the dunes during a family outing. It’s not clear exactly what led to the crash, but the sheriff’s office said Hunter’s ATV tipped into some rocks. Hunter wore a helmet, according to deputies.

    CPR was being performed on Hunter when Fremont County deputies arrived around 12:30 on Wednesday. An ambulance from St. Anthony and an Air Idaho Rescue helicopter were called in, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Hunter was declared dead at the scene.

    Hunter is the son of Bret Christensen, a prominent orthodontist in Lewiston.  The family has ties to Eastern Idaho as Bret and his wife, Eddieka, both attended Ricks College, according to their Facebook pages. Bret lists his previous residence in Idaho Falls before starting Southway Orthodontics in Lewiston in 2001.

    On the Lewiston Tribune Facebook wall, comment after comment expressed condolences for the family.

    “My heart goes out to Dr. C and his family!” wrote one commenter.

    “Just spent a week with Hunter at boy scout camp,” said another. “What a good kid; this is a hard loss. My condolences to the Christensen family.”

    This is the third fatality at the Dunes this year. The last one happened in July when a California man suffered fatal injuries while riding in the Egin Lakes area near the dunes.