Man dies in Northern California ATV crash, CHP says. Alcohol is suspected factor
A 28-year-old man died early Friday morning after crashing an all-terrain vehicle on Highway 89 in Alpine County, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A Caltrans employee called 911 at 3:25 a.m. to report that they had found the unidentified man while checking for rock landslides near Markleeville.
The employee found a beer can on the road next to what appeared to be a blood spot, according to a CHP report, after which they searched the area and saw the man lying in a ditch.
Officials from CHP’s South Lake Tahoe office, the Alpine County Sheriff’s Office and fire personnel responded, after which they pronounced the man dead at the scene.
CHP Officer Craig Barnes said in a CHP collision report the man appeared to have been traveling south on Highway 89 and made “an unsafe turning movement,” after which he was ejected from the ATV. The vehicle continued traveling downhill for another 500 feet before landing on the Carson Riverbank.
CHP officials did not immediately respond Saturday morning to a question about whether the man had been identified.
There was no evidence the man was hit by another vehicle, and alcohol is suspected to be a contributing factor in the crash, Barnes wrote.
The victim was also believed to not have been wearing a helmet, according to the CHP.
