CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Sgt. Glen Lucas
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
September 23, 2019
Success, NH – At approximately 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, September 22, 2019, Conservation Officers received a call for a father, son, and a friend of the father, who were overdue after going on an OHRV ride.
Brad Salvas, 25, of Berlin, NH, was operating a four-person OHRV when he lost control of the machine attempting to navigate a sharp left turn on Success Pond Trail. James Essig Jr., 21, also of Berlin, NH, and a youth son of Salvas were passengers in the OHRV at the time of the crash.
Berlin Police Officers and Berlin Fire Department were searching the extensive trail network before Conservations Officers were able to arrive at the staging area. A short time after Conservation Officers arrived, a Berlin Police Officer located Salvas and the others on Success Pond Trail next to a machine that was on its side, with two flat tires. Salvas told Officers that he went for a ride around 8:00 p.m. the night before, and crashed around 9:30 p.m. The Berlin Police Officer found Salvas and the others at approximately 4:18 a.m. on September 22.
It was hours before they were reported missing, due to the large network of trails, two dead cell phone batteries, and a damaged OHRV that could not be driven out of the woods. These compounding issues forced them to spend the night and some of the morning waiting to be found.
The Officer was able to relay all three of them from the scene to a waiting ambulance for assessment. Berlin EMS and Conservation Officers waited at the entrance to Merigrande Road in Milan where Berlin Police brought all three of the involved parties. All refused medical treatment.
The youth passenger was wearing a helmet and eye protection at the time of the crash while the two adults were wearing just seatbelts. After an investigation of the crash, including the scene, it was determined that Salvas will be issued a summons for unreasonable speed, as it was the leading factor in the crash.