A Hempfield man died Sunday evening when the utility terrain vehicle he was driving collided with a tree, according to Westmoreland County deputy coroner Sean Hribal.
Joseph Weisend, 51, sustained multiple blunt force injuries around 5:30 p.m. in the crash along Rocky Mountain Road. Investigators said Weisend was driving a Yamaha Wolverine X2 when it left the road, hit the tree and overturned. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
State police are investigating. Weisend was not wearing a helmet, Hribal said.
Arrangements will be handled by Beatty-Rich Funeral Home in Madison.
Between 2015 and 2017, there were 2,210 incidents nationwide involving an off-road vehicle fatality, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. That figure includes ATVs, UTVs and other off-road vehicles.
Pennsylvania had the fourth highest death total in that timeframe with 106 deaths, according to a 2020 commission report.
