A 43-year-old man was killed Friday evening when the utility terrain vehicle he was driving overturned on private property in Hilliard, Nassau County. An 18-year-old passenger riding with him was not hurt, and troopers have opened an investigation into what went wrong.
What troopers say happened
According to troopers, the crash happened around 6:35 p.m. as the UTV was traveling west on private land along Tracer Trail in Hilliard. At some point, the driver lost control and the vehicle tipped, overturning onto its left side.
The 43-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, while the 18-year-old passenger escaped injury, according to News4JAX.
How common are fatal OHV rollovers?
Overturns and collisions are among the most frequent deadly hazards involving off-highway vehicles. A recent CPSC report found that overturns and collisions were the leading causes of OHV fatalities and listed Florida among the states with the highest number of deaths from 2018 to 2020. The same report estimated roughly 100,900 emergency-department-treated OHV injuries per year across 2018 to 2022.
Investigation still underway
The Florida Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash and had not yet released the driver's name or other identifying information, according to News4JAX. Authorities said the probe is ongoing and did not provide additional details in their initial report.
