CITIZEN STAFF REPORT

WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Two separate UTV off-road vehicle crashes in Mingo County claimed the lives of two people last weekend.

The first fatality occurred Oct. 24 in Taylorville on U.S. Route 52 between Varney and Delbarton, according to Mingo County Sheriff Joe Smith.

Sheriff Smith said Lisa Morris of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, died while she and her husband were returning to the residence where they were staying after a day on the Hatfield-McCoy Trails.

No additional details were available.

The Mingo County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

The second crash happened Sunday evening, Oct. 26, on the Devil Anse section of the Hatfield-McCoy Trails System near Williamson.

Officials said a 13-year-old boy from Raleigh, North Carolina, was killed when the UTV “took a turn too hard,” sending the vehicle down an embankment into a ravine.

Capt. Dwayne Duffield with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources said the teen was dead when first responders arrived.

The family had been visiting the area to ride the trails. The DNR, which is the lead agency for investigating trail-related crashes, continues to investigate.