Man Loses Leg, 2 Boys Severely Hurt In Fitchburg ATV Crash

FITCHBURG (CBS) – A man's leg was cut off and two little boys were severely hurt when two all-terrain vehicles crashed on New Year's Eve in Fitchburg.

Two men were riding the ATVs with two boys on Ashburnham Hill Road just after 9 p.m. Thursday when they apparently collided. At least two of the victims are father and son.

One driver, a 32-year-old, had his left leg amputated in the crash, according to Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Dateo Jr. He was rushed to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester on a Medflight rescue helicopter.

Dateo said two boys, ages 6 and 7, were also seriously injured. The 6-year-old was in respiratory distress and had to be flown to UMass Memorial as well. The 7-year-old had a compound fracture to his left leg and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

The other driver, a 21-year-old, ended up with a head injury. He was taken to a hospital in Leominster.

It's not clear yet what caused the crash.

No names have been released at this point in the investigation.