A 76-year-old man died Saturday after crashing an all-terrain vehicle into a road grader in Orleans County, according to Vermont State Police.
Keith Stone of Waterbury died from his injuries at North Country Hospital in Newport, police said.
The incident happened just before 3 p.m. in Brownington. Police said Stone was driving a Yamaha Rhino — commonly classified as a “side-by-side” — when he came off a trail and onto Ticehurt Road, troopers said.
That’s when he collided with a CAT road grader driven by David Chase, 53, of Westfield, according to state police.
Both Stone and Chase were wearing seat belts. Stone’s vehicle was totaled, and he suffered significant injuries in the crash before being taken to the hospital in Newport. Chase was uninjured, and the grader was undamaged.
Troopers don’t believe speed or alcohol were factors in the crash, though they asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the Derby barracks at 802-334-8881.
The fatal crash comes during a year when several towns around the Northeast Kingdom have considered or adopted laws allowing ATV travel on municipal roads.
One concern of opponents has been safety, while ATV advocates have highlighted riders’ responsibility and focused mostly on using roads to access trails.
Councilors in Newport, the region’s only city, have been looking at the issue this fall and are slated to discuss an ATV proposal at Monday night’s meeting.
