Cariboo man dies after utility vehicle tumbles down steep embankment above the Fraser River
The 71-year-old fell 400 metres while doing chores on his property near Quesnel, B.C.
A 71-year-old man is dead after the utility terrain vehicle (UTV) he was driving tumbled down the side of a steep embankment at his home south of Kersley, in B.C.'s Cariboo region.
Quesnel RCMP say they were called to the private property just after 5 p.m. PT Wednesday after the man suffered life-threatening injuries.
They say he was dumping a load of debris when the UTV, also known as a side-by-side, started rolling down the embankment.
The vehicle fell 200 metres and became lodged on a tree. The man was thrown out and tumbled another 200 metres to the banks of the Fraser River.
Because of diminishing light and the location, helicopter rescue was impossible, say the RCMP.
Quesnel Search and Rescue extricated the man and he was transported by ambulance to the Quesnel Airport, and then by air ambulance to Prince George University Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Police are not releasing the man's name at this time.