Worcester Man Injured In New Hampshire UTV Crash Caused By Dust Cloud
BERLIN, N.H. (CBS) – A Worcester man was hurt Friday afternoon when he crashed a rented Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) into a bridge abutment. New Hampshire Fish and Game said the crash was caused by a dust cloud created by other riders.
The 29-year-old was riding in a line of UTVs south from Berlin toward Gorham along the Presidential Rail Trail.
Near the Berlin Water Treatment facility, the man lost view of the trail and crashed into the steel bridge abutment.
The man suffered upper body injuries and significantly damaged the rental UTV. After the crash, the man was placed into another UTV and driven to Gorham.
"While the crash is still under investigation, it appears that dry, dusty trail conditions played a significant role in this incident," New Hampshire Fish and Game said. "Despite having had a little more precipitation than the rest of the state, New Hampshire's North Country remains extremely dry. This has created extremely dusty conditions along dirt roads and OHRV trails. Officers patrolling the trails have seen an uptick in narrowly missed collisions as a result of dust clouds created by machine traffic in these dry conditions."
Riders are being asked to slow down, maintain a safe distance between machines, and wait for each other in visible areas off of the main trail bed.