SUFFOLK, Va. — A woman is dead and five other people, including two juveniles, were injured in an incident in Suffolk Thursday where police believe they were using a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) to pull a "makeshift" sled on a rope, according to Police Chief James Buie.
Around 4:03 p.m., authorities in Suffolk responded to a sledding accident on Longstreet Lane — several people were found injured.
Watch: Full interview with Suffolk Police Chief James Buie on sledding fatality
In the 9-1-1 audio on the incident obtained by WTKR News 3, a dispatcher reports traumatic injuries as first responders respond to a property in the 2400 block of Longstreet Lane.
Buie said the group was using the UTV to pull the sled, which he said may have been the hood of a truck or farming equipment.
“Being pulled behind any motor vehicle in the snow is dangerous," Buie said, adding that the "sled" was is one questions investigators were trying to answer.
Watch: Suffolk firefighters make rescue after car crashes into freezing waters amid winter weather
"During that time frame, they lost control of the sled and six people were injured, one fatally," Buie said, adding that they believe all six people appeared to be on the sled at the time of the incident.
The exact cause of death of the woman was not immediately available, and Buie would not indicate whether any charges are pending due to the ongoing investigation.
"Everybody wants to get out and and wants to play in the snow," Buie said. "When you're being pulled by a recreational vehicle and your speeds increase and you're being pulled on something that there are no breaks... once you lose control of that, there's no way to stop it until it hits another object."
Watch: 9-year-old boy dies after sledding accident; as snow blankets much of the U.S., doctors urge safety
In the 9-1-1 audio, a first responder can be heard asking for multiple pieces of equipment to help the victims. They later say one victim was in and out of consciousness.
Buie said if and how all of the victims are related, how, exactly, they were injured, and what role, if any, the driver of the UTV played in this tragedy are all questions that still needed an answer Friday.
WTKR News 3 did confirm that the juveniles are over the age of 10, but no other information on those injured was provided.
Deadly UTV crashes are relatively rare nationwide, according to the Consumer Federation of America, a nonprofit focused on consumer interest and education.
Data from 2023 — the most recent available — shows Virginia saw at least one deadly UTV crash. Eight other states also only recorded one fatal UTV crash in 2023, including West Virginia.
