CONTACT: Conservation Officer Levi Frye 603-271-3361 August 2, 2021

Stark, NH – On Saturday, July 31, 2021 at approximately 6:00 p.m., NH Fish and Game was notified of a single person ATV rollover on Bell Hill Road in Stark. Conservation Officers, Groveton Ambulance, and Stark Volunteer Fire Department rushed to the scene to assist the patient, Heather Staples, 39, of North Providence, Rhode Island.

Investigation of the scene and subsequent interviews of Staples’s riding party determined that while attempting to make a right-hand turn from Bell Hill Road onto Meadow Road, Staples rolled the machine, which pinned her beneath it. Members of her riding party rushed to her side, and a 911 call was immediately placed. After treatment at the scene, Groveton Ambulance transported Staples to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for further evaluation and treatment.

A subsequent interview of Staples at the hospital verified what members of her riding party had explained. She also explained that she was very new to ATV operation and that this had been one of her first days on the trails.

Operator inexperience is considered to be the primary factor in the crash. NH Fish and Game would like to remind everyone that ATV operation has inherent risks, and that riders should always operate within their limits.