A woman is dead after an off-road vehicle crash Saturday night in a rural area northwest of Peoria, authorities said. The vehicle's driver faces DUI charges.
The utility task vehicle, or UTV, rollover happened sometime before 11 p.m. Saturday on private property near the 5600 block of N. Kickapoo-Edwards Road in rural Peoria County, said Sheriff Chris Watkins. Sheriff's deputies and other first responders found the UTV on its side with the 50-year-old woman pinned underneath, Watkins said.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her name and cause of death have not been released.
A UTV is an off-road vehicle designed primarily for work-related purposes, such as hauling, towing, and transporting equipment or materials. Watkins said their investigation determined four people were in the UTV, including 52-year-old driver Joshua A. Bellamy. Investigators determined the UTV left a paved path, struck a wooden post, and overturned.
During the investigation, Watkins said deputies observed signs of impairment from Bellamy. He was taken into custody for allegedly driving under the influence and refused standardized field sobriety testing and chemical testing.
Bellamy was booked into the Peoria County jail on charges of driving under the influence and aggravated DUI.
