A 44-year-old North Dakota man with ties to Rock County died Saturday during an ATV trip in the Black Hills when a tree fell on him.
Nathan Hoag of Arthur, North Dakota, was riding with a large group of ATV and UTV riders, many from Luverne and Rock County who were participating in the annual Pat Smedsrud Memorial Ride.
Hoag was driving his four-wheeler on a trail near Hills City, South Dakota, on July 27 when a tree tipped over onto the trail just as he was passing through.
According to 17-year-old Mason Steensma, Luverne, the accident happened around 6 p.m. on the last ride of the last day of the trip.
The riders — more than 50 people on 20 to 25 machines — were on a trail between Rochford and Hills City where they planned to stop at the Silver Dollar for a bite to eat.
Steensma was in a side-by-side with friends not far behind Hoag when the tree fell. He said a thunderstorm had rolled in with heavy rain that caused difficult driving conditions.
“All of a sudden I looked up and saw a tree fall over and land on him,” Steensma said. “We tried to move it but it was too heavy, so we ran back and tried to find someone with a chainsaw.”
He said others in the group brought Hoag to the nearest gravel road for cell phone service to call for help, but riders said he didn’t have a pulse soon after the tree made impact.
Steensma said the tragedy felt like a nightmare. “It doesn’t seem like it actually happened,” he said. “It was like some kind of horror movie.”
Hoag is an identical twin brother to Shane Hoag who lives in Steen. West Funeral Home in West Fargo, North Dakota, is handling arrangements.