A fatal side-by-side crash on North Bush Road in Johnstown has left one person dead and Fulton County investigators working to notify family before releasing the victim's name. Passersby discovered the wreck Sunday morning, setting off a response from sheriff's deputies, emergency crews, and the county coroner.
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office confirmed it is investigating the single-vehicle crash, according to Newport Dispatch. The outlet reports that one person died in the crash, and that the victim's name is being withheld until all family members have been notified.
Passersby came across the scene on North Bush Road Sunday morning, the report states, prompting a multi-agency response. The Fulton County Emergency Management Office, St. Johnsville Fire Department, and Tryon Fire Department all assisted at the scene, alongside Fulton County Coroner Luck, per the same account.
Details of the Crash Remain Limited
Beyond confirming that the crash involved a single side-by-side vehicle and claimed one life, authorities have not released additional circumstances surrounding what happened on North Bush Road. No information on the cause of the crash or who was operating the vehicle has been made public at this stage.
Side-by-side vehicles, also known as UTVs, have become increasingly common on rural roads and trails in recent years, even as injury data specific to the vehicle type has lagged behind their rising popularity, according to a study cited by stacks.cdc.gov that examined newspaper reports of side-by-side and ATV crashes across nine states. Federal data compiled by cpsc.gov shows collisions are a common hazard in fatal off-highway vehicle incidents, with the majority of ATV fatalities in its referenced sample tied to stationary objects like trees, guard rails, or mailboxes, and more than 30 percent involving other vehicles.
A Separate Fatal UTV Crash Upstate
Fulton County's crash is not the only recent fatal UTV incident reported in upstate New York, though the two are not known to be connected. On September 1, state troopers responded to a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of State Route 12 in the Town of Turin, as reported by wpdh.com.
Police said the operator of a 2017 Polaris Ranger 1000 UTV failed to acknowledge a yield sign at the intersection and was struck by a 2018 Ford F-150 pickup truck, according to that report. State Police identified the deceased UTV driver in that crash as 62-year-old William J. Timko Jr. of Wantage, New Jersey.
No further details have been released about the North Bush Road crash as the investigation continues. Fulton County authorities have not said when the victim's name will be made public.
