Crime & Safety
Fatal Sonoma Co. ATV Crash Victim Was Citrus Heights Resident
A CHP official said evidence indicated the ATV rider and his passenger were drinking and were not wearing helmets.
SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office has identified a man who died in an all-terrain vehicle crash near Cazadero in unincorporated Sonoma County on Friday evening as Thomas Chadd, 27, of Citrus Heights. Chadd was driving a Polaris Ranger ATV on Pole Mountain Road west of Austin Creek Road around 5:40 p.m. when he failed to negotiate a curve, California Highway Patrol Officer Jon Sloat said.
Chadd suffered head injuries when the ATV went down a steep ravine on the side of the road and he died at the scene, Sloat said.
A 21-year-old Santa Rosa woman who was riding in the ATV was not injured. She and Chadd had been drinking and there were several empty alcohol containers at the site, Sloat said.
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Both occupants were wearing seatbelts but not helmets, according to Sloat.
Chadd's Facebook profile said he went to Sierra College and previously worked for Union Pacific Railroad. The profile included many photos of all-terrain vehicles and said he loved "anything off road and racing."
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