Man injured in ATV accident

TOWNSHIP 4, INDIAN PURCHASE – A Gardiner man was severely injured Saturday when he lost control of his all-terrain vehicle and landed on some rocks.

Gary Hinckley, 50, was airlifted by LifeFlight and taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor where he was reported to be in fair condition Sunday afternoon.

Hinckley, who is hearing impaired, suffered back and chest injuries and had a laceration on his right hand, Warden Sgt. Gregg Sanborn of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said Saturday.

The accident victim wasn’t wearing a helmet, Sanborn said.

Hinckley and a friend had been riding on their all-terrain vehicles on the side of a mountain and were descending into a ravine when Hinckley lost control of the vehicle and it “pitched” him onto rocks, Sanborn said.

“The cause of the accident was operator inexperience; it was the first time he’d been on an all-terrain vehicle,” Sanborn said of Hinckley. When Hinckley’s companion made the 911 call at about 12:30 p.m., there was some confusion as to the location of the accident, the warden said.

The caller led police to believe that the accident had occurred north of the Katahdin Iron Works Road when in fact, the accident was actually closer to Millinocket, Sanborn said.

Milo First Responders and a crew from Three Rivers Ambulance responded and found Hinckley’s party member off Route 11.

After more than hour on foot, the rescuers met up with the ambulance on a dirt road. From there, Hinckley was taken by ambulance to a clearing where a LifeFlight helicopter could land.