| May 15, 2019


(Editors note – the original OPP report on this incident was posted on Monday, April 13. It has been replaced with this updated, more accurate, version)

Richard Culligan, 57, from Greater Madawaska Township, died of his injuries after the ATV he was riding landed in a ditch off of Hunt Camp Lane in North Frontenac Township.

The accident took place just after 11am on Saturday, May 11, and the OPP report that it was a collision that sent Culligan into the ditch. The report does not say if another vehicle was involved.

Since Farm Lane is located near the border with Greater Madawaska in the northeast corner of the township, paramedics from Renfrew County and firefighters from Greater Madawaska attended the scene before police arrived.

The Ompah ATV Ride for Dad was taking place at the time, and there is a lunch stop for the run on Hunt Camp Lane, but according to officials with North Frontenac Township, the accident took place on another section of the lane. Hunt Camp Lane runs between Dodge Lake and Mountain Chutes road near Black Donald and Norcan Lakes.

An OPP report that was released on Monday afternoon (May 13) referred to the ATV run, saying “the collision happened during an organised event, with riders travelling between Norcan Lake and Ompah,” but North Frontenac Township officials as well as race organisers confirmed to the News that Mr. Culligan was not registered for the ride. The fact that the accident took place near the trail route seems to have caused some confusion.

“There are a lot of ATV’s out in that area on weekends when the weather is good, so it is hard to tell which ones are part of an organised event and which are just using the trail,” said North Frontenac Township Manager of Public Works Darwyn Sproule.
Sproule added that 4 OPP officers are assigned to the popular Ompah ATV run, but did not know if any of the officers who were with the run were part of the team that responded to the fatal accident

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