A 40-year-old Fairwater woman was killed Saturday evening when a UTV carrying four people crashed on a rural Green Lake County road after failing to make a curve, officials said. The vehicle was traveling along Princeton Road and at least three other occupants were injured.
According to WMTV, Green Lake County 911 received a call around 5:05 p.m. about a UTV crash on Princeton Road near Honeysuckle Lane. Deputies said the eastbound UTV did not successfully negotiate a curve, no one on board was wearing a seat belt and one person was ejected. Life-saving efforts at the scene were not successful.
As reported by WBAY, the person who died was identified as 40-year-old Nicole Deaver of Fairwater. The injured occupants were named as Timothy Kamphuis of Fairwater, Kristopher Keller of Ripon and Megan Zimmerman of Markesan. The crash remains under investigation by the Green Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Green Lake County Medical Examiner, the station reported.
State safety guidance and rural roads
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has repeatedly urged UTV operators to use seat belts and DOT-approved helmets and notes that rollovers make up a large share of ATV and UTV fatalities, according to the Wisconsin DNR. The agency also advises riders to adjust speed to match terrain and to report crash incidents to law enforcement and the DNR so investigators can review what occurred.
Investigation ongoing
Local first responders, including Green Lake-Brooklyn fire crews and EMS units from Green Lake, Berlin and Princeton, were among the agencies that assisted at the scene, according to NBC 26. Officials have not released updated conditions for the injured occupants and say the investigation is ongoing, with the county medical examiner requested to assist, according to news reports.
