Two Off-Road Vehicle Accidents Require Airlifts in Kittitas County

Two separate accidents involving off-road recreational vehicles required two injured people to be airlifted for medical assistance from Kittitas County over the weekend.

One of the incidents occurred on Sunday afternoon in an area known as the 'Old Coal Mines Slag Pile' between Cle Elum and Roslyn, when a 61-year-old Cle Elum woman suffered a head injury.

"She had been riding as the passenger in a side-by-side (UTV) with her husband," says Inspector Christopher Whitsett of the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office. "It looks like it was a slow-speed accident in which the vehicle tipped over. The woman was not wearing her restraint, so she fell out and was injured."

The woman was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where her current condition is unknown.

The other accident happened Saturday evening in the vicinity of Reecer Creek near Liberty, when a 30-year-old male rolled the ATV he was riding and received unspecified injuries.

The man was first airlifted to Bowers Field in Ellensburg where he was then transported via helicopter to Harborview Medical Center.

Whitsett says it was a busy weekend for off-road recreation in the county and those who use such vehicles need to exercise caution.

"In one of these cases, a person wasn't using safety equipment and that contributed to the accident, but in the other instance they were, and that's the way it goes sometimes. But either way, ATVs can be dangerous and we strongly encourage people to ride safely and within the limits of their abilities."

The medical status of the 30-year-old ATV rider is also unknown at this time.