Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MENTONE - Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating an off-road vehicle (ORV) accident that occurred in Mentone July 5.
At 6:46 p.m., officers were dispatched to 3466 S. Mill Road in Mentone for an ORV accident with injury, according to a news release from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Upon arrival, officers discovered that a dirt motorcycle, operated by Aaron Bontrager, 24, had collided with an ORV operated by Andrew Nicolai, 30. As a result of the collision, Alissa Nicolai, 28, a passenger on the ORV, was thrown from vehicle. She suffered serious injuries and was flown to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne with head and internal injuries.
Bontrager was transported by a private party to a hospital in Warsaw with a leg injury.
No one involved was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, the release states.
Conservation officers urge operators and passengers of ORVs to follow all manufacturers’ safety recommendations and properly use all safety equipment, including seatbelts and helmets.
For information on ORV laws, safety courses and safe operating procedures, visit offroad-ed.com/in/handbook/ and on.IN.gov/offroading.
Assisting agencies included the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office, Mentone Police Department, Burket Fire Department and Lutheran Emergency Medical Services.
