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It happened in Putnam County just after 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, on Baldwin Place Road in Carmel, the Carmel Police Department said on Monday, Nov. 25.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene within three minutes after receiving a 911 report that a vehicle had rolled over, potentially trapping the driver inside.
The driver, a 19-year-old Mahopac resident, had safely exited the vehicle by the time officers arrived but reported head and body pain. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment, police said.
Initially, the driver told officers she had swerved to avoid an animal in the roadway. Police did not find tire marks on the roadway, but did find off-road damage, which suggested the car veered off the street, collided with a tree, and flipped onto its side.
While the driver was not able to give more details about the crash, investigating officers overheard the driver change her account, attributing the crash to a bright light she believed to be from an all-terrain vehicle (ATV).
This prompted police to investigate the possibility of another vehicle’s involvement.
Detectives then canvassed the area and reviewed surveillance footage from nearby roads at the time of the crash. While camera footage was located, no evidence of an ATV in the area was found.
Police have since closed the case pending further developments.
"Carmel Police Department continues to take this issue very seriously. We have seen, and our officers have responded to, an increasing number of ATV-related complaints. We have also seen some of these illegally operated ATVs flee our officers, creating a risk to themselves and the public," the department said on Monday.
The department issued summonses in a separate incident that also happened in November involving an ATV and dirt bike driving recklessly on roads near Mahopac High School. On Monday, Nov. 18, officers responded to reports of reckless driving on Baldwin Place Road, where a dirt bike and ATV fled from police into nearby trails.
An investigation led to the issuance of multiple summonses to a 17-year-old Mahopac boy for traffic violations witnessed by an officer. His 51-year-old mother was also issued a summons for allowing her son to drive without a license. The boy’s vehicle was later impounded, and both were directed to appear in Carmel Town Court.
Carmel detectives are still investigating the identity of the other vehicle and rider involved in the Nov. 18 incident.
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