A 55-year-old Maple Ridge man was killed in an ATV incident in the Coalmont-Tulameen area Saturday, Oct. 22.

According to RCMP Sgt. Rob Hughes, the man became separated from his vehicle while attempting to navigate a steep hill.

Emergency Health Services notified police at approximately 7:30 p.m.

The victim was with a group of friends, who were staying in Tulameen, and had been recreating earlier in an area called “Coalmont pit.”

On their return trip “another quad took a side trail that was less steep,” said Hughes.

When his friends rode back to look for him, the man was found lying on the hill and the ATV had rolled past him.

“He was unresponsive. Some of his friends left for help and others began CPR. They put him in a side-by-side and drove him to the road to meet the ambulance.”

The rider was wearing a helmet, said Hughes.

According to a recently released Statistics Canada report, there are approximately 100 unintentional deaths related to ATVs each year.

More than 80 per cent of those victims are men, and one-third of the accidents involve dangerous terrain such as steep hills.

Related: Young Princeton man killed in ATV tragedy

Related: Coalmont woman airlifted after ATV crash

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:andrea.demeer@similkameenspotlight.com