A 28-year-old Beaverton man is dead after losing control of his all-terrain vehicle on a rural Gladwin County road, in a crash that marks the county's second fatal off-road vehicle wreck of the summer. Austin McCulloch was killed Monday afternoon when his 2023 Can-Am Outlander 4x4 quad-runner crashed while he was traveling northbound on McCulloch Road, south of Calhoun Road in Beaverton Township.
Deputies from the Gladwin County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the scene at approximately 4:25 p.m. that day, according to the Clare County Cleaver. MyMichigan Ambulance Service responded alongside Beaverton Fire & Rescue and EMS personnel, who assisted at the crash scene, as reported by the Midland Daily News. McCulloch was pronounced dead as a result of the crash.
Investigators have said McCulloch lost control of the ATV, per their on-scene review, but the underlying cause of the wreck remains unresolved. No other vehicle was found to be involved, and the sheriff's office has not determined what led to the loss of control — leaving open questions about speed, mechanical failure, road conditions, or helmet use.
Sheriff's Office Pushes Back on Online Speculation
Gladwin County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Chad Smith issued the department's public statement on the crash, urging community members to show respect for McCulloch's family and to refrain from posting derogatory or insensitive comments about the loss of life on social media. The sheriff's office also expressed its condolences to the family, according to the same report from the Clare County Cleaver. The agency's request echoes a pattern seen elsewhere in Michigan, where law enforcement has occasionally had to ask the public for restraint online following tragic local incidents.
McCulloch Road has already had a difficult year. In June, an 11-year-old horse-drawn buggy driver was critically injured, and a horse was killed when a crossover SUV struck the buggy near Lang Road on the same corridor, as detailed by WZZM13. That incident, combined with Monday's fatal crash, has put renewed attention on a rural roadway shared by cars, farm equipment, buggies, and off-road vehicles alike.
A Second Fatal ATV Crash This Summer
Monday's crash was not Gladwin County's first fatal off-road vehicle incident this summer. A 23-year-old rider died in a separate ATV crash in the county in an earlier Hoodline report on a fatal Michigan ATV wreck. The recurrence of fatal ATV crashes in a single county over one summer underscores how off-road vehicle traffic tends to spike during warmer months in rural Michigan.
Michigan law leaves little room for interpretation when it comes to safety gear on ORVs. Under Michigan Compiled Laws Section 324.81133, all operators and passengers are required to wear a U.S. DOT-approved crash helmet and protective eyewear, with no exemptions for adults, according to the Sinas Dramis Law Firm. That statute stands in contrast to Michigan's motorcycle helmet law, which allows certain qualified adult riders to go without one.
County Ordinance Sets Speed and Positioning Rules
Gladwin County's own rules add another layer of regulation for roads like the one where McCulloch died. Under Gladwin County Ordinance No. 22, off-road vehicles are allowed to operate on county primary and local roads unless those roads are closed, but riders must travel single-file on the far right of the maintained roadway and stay under a 25 mph speed limit. Operators are also required to carry an annual $26.25 Department of Natural Resources ORV license decal for riding on public roads, with an additional $10 permit needed for state-designated trail systems, per the Black River Law firm.
Statewide data from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources paints a sobering picture of how these crashes typically unfold. Safety figures released in 2025 found that 93% of statewide ORV fatalities in 2023 were preventable, and 77% involved riders who weren't wearing helmets or seatbelts — with all fatal crashes occurring on private property or county roads, according to Pure Michigan. Rural counties also carry a disproportionate share of Michigan's overall traffic risk, with counties under 50,000 residents averaging 15.2 traffic deaths per 100,000 people compared to 8.7 per 100,000 in urban counties, per an analysis from Koussan Law of Michigan State Police records.
The 2023 Can-Am Outlander that McCulloch was riding represented a significant redesign for manufacturer BRP, which equipped the quad-runner lineup with single-cylinder Rotax engines producing between 40 and 50 horsepower, a high-tensile steel frame, and a pDrive clutch system, according to Dirt Wheels Magazine. There is no indication in the investigation so far that the vehicle's mechanical systems played a role in the crash. The Gladwin County Sheriff's Office has not released further details as the investigation continues.
