TROY, Texas — The driver of an ATV is dead after crashing into a ditch while making a turn near Troy, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The victim was identified by Texas DPS as Jerry Gardner Kruithof, 52, of Temple.
The Texas DPS responded to a report of a man down on Bottoms East Road east of Troy on October 7 shortly before 9 a.m. Upon arrival, troopers found an ATV in a ditch, on its side. The ATV was on top of a male, identified as Kruithof, believed to be the operator of the ATV. A justice of the peace arrived on scene and pronounced Kruithof dead.
An investigation into the incident found that the ATV was traveling south on Bottoms East Road at an "unsafe speed" while approaching a turn. The Texas DPS said the ATV was unable to make the turn and rolled over into a ditch. Kruithof was not wearing a helmet.
