On Jan. 19th, at approx. 4 pm, the Gila County Sheriff's Office received a 911 transfer from the Payson Police Dept. with a male subject and female subject saying they needed medical for a quad accident and gave their location as being east of Beaver Valley, but were not sure of the exact location. The victim was a 17 year old female bleeding from the nose and mouth and had no pulse or respiration. The cell phone they were using had a weak signal and kept fading out. A subsequent call was received advising there was another girl hurt with back, neck, andrib injuries.
The only way to get them was by ATV or helicopter. There were conflicting GPS readings for their location. Beaver Valley Fire Dept. and Gila County Sheriff's Office Deputies began driving around the area attempting to locate the scene while a DPS helicopter flew in the area. The subjects were eventually located on the Old Love Lady Ranch. DPS was able to land in a clearing and flew the injured girl to the Flagstaff Medical Center. The other girl was pronounced dead at the scene before Deputies arrived. The names of all those involved are not being released until the family members have been properly notified.
The investigation revealed that six subjects were riding quads in a meadow with many hills and bumps. Three girls were riding on one quad when the driver lost control because of the speed and bumps causing the quad to impact with a Juniper tree. The driver jumped off the quad prior to impact. The middle girl struck the tree while the third girl suffered minor injuries and refused medical treatment.