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Wisconsin DNR releases startling ATV, UTV fatal crash numbers
Startling ATV and UTV crash numbers from the Wisconsin DNR show most operators either aren’t wearing a helmet or wearing a seat belt. FOX 9's Leon Purvis has the story.
APPLE RIVER, Wis. (FOX 9) - An ATV operator was killed Tuesday afternoon after striking a deer in western Wisconsin.
Fatal crash with deer
The backstory:
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the ATV crash happened on 150th Avenue, east of County H, in Apple River. The man had been traveling eastbound on the ATV when he struck a deer.
First responders were dispatched just after 3:30 p.m. and located a man in the roadway. He was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.
"The operator of the ATV was not wearing a helmet and suffered trauma as a result of the collision with the deer," the sheriff’s office explained.
The name of the operator will be released at a later date. The crash remains under investigation by the Wisconsin DNR and Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Fatal Wisconsin ATV and UTV crashes
By the numbers:
Crash numbers from the Wisconsin DNR show that as of Aug. 13 there have been 25 fatal crashes involving ATVs and UTVs so far this year. Of those, five were 18 or younger.
Officials say the biggest contributing factors to these fatal crashes are people not wearing a helmet or using a seat belt.
The Source: This story uses information from previous FOX 9 reporting and a Polk County Sheriff's Office press release.