A side-by-side UTV carrying three people went off Bergoo Road in rural Webster County, West Virginia, and plunged 75 feet down an embankment on Saturday evening, killing two of the riders and injuring the third. Maggie Driggs, 24, of Charleston, and Richard Brian Chandler, 43, of Hurricane, were both pronounced dead at the scene, while the third occupant was taken to a local hospital and later released.
The crash happened near 6989 Bergoo Road shortly before 7:30 p.m., according to the WV MetroNews, which reported that the road runs through steep mountain terrain along the Elk River. All three occupants were ejected from the vehicle when it left the roadway, per the same account. The Webster County Sheriff's Department confirmed the deaths in a news release issued Tuesday, though it said no further information was available at this time.
Emergency crews were able to respond almost immediately because an automated crash notification system alerted dispatchers around 7:30 p.m., according to CBS Pittsburgh. Multiple emergency units were already staged nearby because of the 17th annual Bergoo Bash, a major off-road poker run centered at the Bergoo Ballfield that serves as the primary fundraiser for the Webster Springs Volunteer Fire Department. Those units responded to the crash scene shortly after the alert came in, the station reported.
A Small Hamlet Swelled by Thousands of Riders
Bergoo is an unincorporated mountain community of roughly 66 permanent residents, but the Labor Day weekend event draws thousands of visitors and campers who ride more than 40 miles of designated trails, according to Hook & Barrel Magazine. The magazine notes that the mountainous terrain between Summersville and Elkins is riddled with steep inclines and sharp blind curves. The Bergoo Bash itself, organized around trail rides, mud bogs, raffles and concerts, exists specifically to support the volunteer fire department, per bergoobash.com.
The identity of the third occupant, who was hospitalized and later released, has not been made public, and authorities have not said what caused the UTV to leave the roadway. The Webster County Sheriff's Department said the investigation into the crash continues and extended condolences to the families and loved ones involved.
A Law Meant to Widen Access, and Data Showing Rising Trauma
The crash comes against the backdrop of a 2020 state law, Senate Bill 690, which created a street-legal special purpose vehicle registration allowing modified ATVs and UTVs equipped with headlights, turn signals and mirrors to travel on public roads with speed limits under 55 mph, according to the West Virginia Legislature. The statute permits travel on paved roads for distances up to 20 miles. It is not known whether the UTV involved in Saturday's crash was registered under that provision.
A cross-sectional study published in March 2025 found that trauma admissions for ATV and UTV injuries at a West Virginia Level I trauma center rose 14% overall, and 24% after adjusting for demographic variables, following the law's enactment, according to research published on PubMed Central. The researchers examined trauma records spanning 2017 through 2023. Separately, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported that West Virginia was one of five states, alongside Pennsylvania, California, Kentucky and Florida, that together accounted for more than 30% of all off-highway vehicle deaths nationwide between 2018 and 2020, out of 2,448 total fatalities counted in that span.
A Long History of Off-Road Fatalities in the State
West Virginia's struggles with off-road vehicle safety are not new. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that during the 1990s and 2000s, the state consistently led the nation in per capita ATV fatalities, with death rates reaching up to eight times the national average, with higher mortality concentrated among male riders in rural, low-income counties.
Under West Virginia Code Chapter 17F, helmets are legally required only for off-road vehicle operators and riders under 18, leaving adult riders like Driggs and Chandler exempt from any state helmet mandate. Historical safety studies cited by Harwood Legal and WVU Extension indicate that more than 95% of fatal off-road crash victims were not wearing helmets. It has not been reported whether seatbelts or helmets were in use in Saturday's crash. Nationally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports an annual average of more than 800 deaths and nearly 100,000 emergency department-treated injuries tied to off-highway vehicles, with rollovers and ejections cited as the leading causes of death, a risk the agency attributes in part to the high centers of gravity that make side-by-sides prone to tipping on paved or uneven surfaces.
