Sad news, but I´m going to relay the story to my ranch hands so they´ll realize just how dangerous the use of a 4 wheeler can, especially when encountering something like a wire gate.
For instance, check out the photo of my water cannon below. The thing uses a long wire cable that´s spooled out and then connected to a stationary object such as a tree or post. The action of a water turbine causes the machine to respool the cable and thereby moves the machine along slowly as it waters the pasture.
Several times I´ve been speeding along on my 4 wheeler looking at the sytem in operation, cows, or whatever to suddenly realize that the cable is suspended ahead about 3 feet off the ground!
I need to warn them to run it closer to ground level and-or mark it clearly along its path so that a bike or horseback rider doesn´t meet with an accident.
Again, sorry to hear about your neighbor. 4 wheelers are not toys.