West Buffalo – A county resident passed away Monday morning after crashing a UTV (utility terrain vehicle) off Huffman Creek Road.
First responders were dispatched to the scene at 9:32 a.m, following the report of an accident involving a “side-by-side.” Preliminary reports indicate that 25-year-old Kase McAlister Brooks was operating a green Polaris RZR in the northbound direction of the road. The Polaris failed to properly navigate a curve, traveled off the right side of the narrow dirt path and struck a tree.
A resident of the Atoah community, Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene.
A passenger, Dakota Lewis, was airlifted to University of Tennessee hospital in Knoxville with non-life threatening injuries.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.