Family files wrongful death suit in double-fatal UTV crash near Hebron

The estate of a passenger killed in a UTV crash in August near Hebron has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the estate of the driver of the UTV.

The estate of Bryan Dahm is suing the estate of Ryan Wilson for more than $50,000, according to court documents filed in September. Both Wilson, 40, of Woodstock, and Dahm, 36, also of Woodstock, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Aug. 17.

Dahm’s estate claims in the civil suit, filed in McHenry County court, that Wilson owed a “duty to operate his motor vehicle safely and to exercise ordinary care so as to not negligently cause injury to those persons lawfully on the roadway.”

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said shortly after the crash that a preliminary investigation showed Wilson was driving the UTV, or utility-terrain vehicle, at a high rate of speed east along Thayer Road near Hebron with two passengers, Dahm and a 35-year-old man from San Carlos, California. About 10:50 p.m. Aug. 17, the UTV exited the road and severed a utility pole, knocking down power lines and causing an outage in the area.

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 California man suffered minor injuries and declined medical attention.

Dahm extricated himself from the burning vehicle but then “he stepped on a live electrical wire from the downed utility poll” and was electrocuted, according to the lawsuit.

Dahm was a married father with a son and a daughter, according to his obituary. Wilson was a married father of three daughters, according to his obituary.

UTVs, or utility-terrain vehicles, also known as side-by-sides, tend to be larger and more expensive than all-terrain vehicles. UTVs are not generally permitted on roads unless the township or homeowners association allows them. McHenry County does not have an ordinance on UTV use, officials said previously.