Thursday, August 26, 2004
By KIM RING
kring@repub.com
HARDWICK - Two local teenagers were killed when their all-terrain vehicle
struck a tree on Patrill Hollow Road just before 4 p.m. yesterday.
The victims were identified by police as Mark Kroyman, 19, of 2683
Greenwich Road and Daniel J. Chechili, 18, of 176 West St., Barre, said
Police Chief James F. Owens
Police were called to the area by a neighbor, and found both men
unconscious and badly injured. They called for assistance from paramedics in
nearby Ware, and also requested a Life Flight Helicopter.
But the chopper plea was canceled when paramedics determined that both
teens had died at the scene.
Owens said, "A preliminary investigation indicated that speed was a
factor in the accident." He said that police were trying to determine if
alcohol also played a role in the crash.
The chief said the two were riding in a Polaris four-wheel all-terrain
vehicle on Patrill Hollow Road near the Hardwick Vineyard and Winery, and
heading toward Ware, when the vehicle left the road and struck a tree,
stripping off the bark and throwing them from the vehicle. Neither was
wearing a helmet, Owens said.
Police said after the crash that neighbors reported seeing the ATV
speeding in the area earlier in the day. Such off-road vehicles are not
permitted on public ways in the state, police said.
State, local, and environmental police, along with the Hardwick Fire
Department, were on scene for several hours, taking measurements and
photographs and attempting to reconstruct the accident.
Owens said he is concerned about emergency personnel who have had to deal
with three tragic accidents recently. It is unusual to have three deaths
from accidents in one year in this small town, but this week alone, three
people have died on Hardwick roads.
A critical incident stress debriefing team which helps emergency workers
cope with difficult situations had just finished counseling sessions here on
Monday, said Firefighter and Hardwick Selectman Charles Lowell.
A fiery crash that left Shaun M. Grzywna, 22, of 59 North St., Ware, dead
on Aug. 18 brought the team to town after rescue workers battling intense
flames were unable to free him from the car.
Yesterday's accident drew relatives and friends of the victims to the
scene. Some of the teenagers hugged and awaited word on their friends' fate.
They declined to speak about the victims.
Published in The Republican on 8/27/2004.
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