A 12-year-old died Friday night after being ejected from a utility terrain vehicle and pinned beneath it in Maplecrest, in a crash that injured three other children, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.
Deputies responded near 84 County Route 56, also known as Big Hollow Road, in the Windham hamlet of Maplecrest at around 7:54 p.m. Friday, the sheriff’s office said in a press release. Four children ages 10 to 14 were riding in the vehicle, also known as a side-by-side, on a private gravel driveway shared by several homes, authorities said.
None of the children were wearing seatbelts or helmets, the release said.
The vehicle veered off the left side of the driveway and struck a boulder, rolling onto its passenger side and ejecting all four children, authorities said. The 12-year-old and a 10-year-old, who were seated on the passenger side, were pinned underneath the overturned vehicle.
A neighbor was able to pull the vehicle off of the children using his truck.
Both were airlifted to Albany Medical Center, where the 12-year-old was pronounced dead. The 10-year-old is in critical condition, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office didn’t name the four children in the vehicle. A fundraising page organized for the family identified the boy who died as Levi Dempsey and his brother, Cade, as the 10-year-old, who the page said is in the pediatric intensive care unit at Albany Medical Center.
The two boys are the youngest of Ryan and Alisa Dempsey’s six children, according to the page. Ryan Dempsey is a pastor at a local church, where he has served for years.
The fundraiser is collecting money for funeral and medical costs, travel to and from the hospital, housing, and meals, its organizers wrote. “Many know the Dempsey family through Pastor Ryan,” the page said. “This family is much more than a pastor’s family; they are an integral part of our community.”
The page had raised roughly $90,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
The other two occupants of the vehicle, a 14-year-old who was driving and an 11-year-old passenger, suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene by emergency medical services.
Windham Supervisor Tom Hoyt, who lives in Maplecrest, said the accident was a “complete tragedy” in an interview on Saturday.
“The family has deep roots in the community,” he said. “It’s just horrible.”
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office was assisted on the scene by the Hensonville and Windham fire departments, Ashland and Windham ambulance, Greene County Paramedics, LifeNet of New York, Windham police, Greene County Emergency Services, and state police.
An investigation is ongoing.
Connor Greco is a staff reporter for The Overlook covering Windham, Hunter, and surrounding Greene County communities. Send correspondence to connor@theoverlooknews.com.
