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Two Harvard men died late Saturday after their UTV crashed late Saturday near Hebron after traveling high speeds on a county road that does not allow those types of vehicles.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said the preliminary investigation showed a 40-year-old Harvard man was driving the UTV, or utility terrain vehicle, at a high rate of speed east along Thayer Road near Hebron with two passengers, a 36-year-old Harvard man and a 35-year-old man from San Carlos, California. At about 10:50 p.m. Saturday, the UTV exited the road and severed a utility pole, knocking down power lines and causing an outage in the area.
The identities of the two Harvard men had not yet been released by the McHenry County Coroner’s Office as of Monday evening.
The UTV rolled several times, ejecting the driver, came to rest upright in a ditch and caught fire, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The two Harvard men were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said, while the California man suffered minor injuries and declined medical attention.
Police said alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation by McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and the coroner.
What is a UTV?
A utility terrain vehicle, also commonly known as a side-by-side, is typically used more for work than recreation, according to Nationwide Insurance. UTVs are also as a rule larger and more expensive than all-terrain vehicles. ATVs carry a driver and sometimes one passenger, while UTVs can carry up to four passengers.
Seatbelts on UTVs are considered a standard with options to add a windshield and roll bars, according to Nationwide. The vehicle is popularly used on farms, on school campuses and by police departments. UTVs can reach a maximum speed of 25 to 50 mph, according to Nationwide.
Are they allowed on roads?
UTVs and ATVs are generally not allowed on any roads unless specifically permitted by a township or Home Owners Association, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communications Specialist Emily Matusek-Baker said in an email.
“That was not the case for this weekend’s crash, as McHenry County does not have an ordinance for such use,” Matusek-Baker said.
Since the county doesn’t have a specific ordinance, officers follow a state law that prohibits a “non-highway vehicle” to be driven on any street, highway or roadway in Illinois. A non-highway vehicle is defined as an ATV, golf cart, off-highway motorcycle or any other recreational off-highway vehicle.
“A municipality, township, county or other unit of local government may authorize, by ordinance or resolution, the operation of non-highway vehicles on roadways under its jurisdiction if the unit of local government determines that the public safety will not be jeopardized,” the Illinois statute states.