Helmet use uncertain in fatal ATV crash

Police are not sure whether a man killed in a western Newfoundland all-terrain vehicle crash this weekend had been wearing his helmet securely.

The Cormack resident, 55, was killed on a dirt road outside the community on Saturday afternoon.

His body, which was pinned underneath the ATV, was found by a couple driving along White River Road around 4 p.m.

A helmet was found nearby.

"It's unsure whether or not he was wearing the helmet at the time," Sgt. Boyd Merrill. "Sometimes people wear helmets loosely and when they overturn or they need them, they fall off."

RCMP have seized the vehicle for a mechanical inspection.

The incident comes after a fatal accident in St. George's in May that claimed the life of a 15-year-old boy.

"There just seems to be too many ATV-related deaths in the province," Merrill said. "There has to be more vigilance displayed by the operators or we're going to have more tragic events like this."