CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Levi Frye
603-788-4850
June 10, 2024

Berlin, NH – On Sunday June 9, 2024, at approximately 3:30 p.m., NH Fish and Game was notified of a single vehicle rental UTV crash on the Windmill Trail in Jericho Mountain State Park in Berlin. A Conservation Officer responded to the scene along with Berlin Police, Fire and EMS personnel to assist the patient, identified as Eduardo Castillo-Lares, 27, of Weston, Massachusetts.

An investigation of the scene along with a subsequent interview of Castillo-Lares at the hospital indicated that while Castillo-Lares was riding in a large group of machines at the windmills in Jericho Mountain State Park, he suddenly accelerated and abruptly swerved it on purpose, causing it to flip over on its top, resulting in a serious arm injury. Members of his riding party rushed to his aid, and a call was placed requesting an emergency response.

Castillo-Lares was transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin by the Berlin Ambulance for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Castillo-Lares was an inexperienced operator who had rented a machine from a local rental company earlier that day.

After initial investigation, it appears that recklessness and an improper aggressive turn are the leading factors leading to this incident. Alcohol and drug intoxication are not considered factors in this crash. But Castillo-Lares faces charges for his reckless actions resulting in the roll-over.