Erie man hospitalized after UTV rollover

ERIE – An Erie man is in the hospital with “potentially life-threatening injuries” after the UTV he was driving rolled over in rural Erie Sunday, the Whiteside County Sheriff said.

At 1:42 p.m., Whiteside County deputies were dispatched to the intersection of Gaulrapp Road and Elston Road in rural Erie for a single-vehicle crash with injuries.

Tyler Naftzger, 25, of Erie, was driving a UTV westbound on Gaulrapp Road when he lost control of the UTV at the intersection, left the roadway and rolled over, Sheriff John Booker said in a news release Monday.

Naftzger sustained potentially life-threatening injuries and was taken to Genesis Medical Center in Silvis and was later airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Booker said.

Whiteside County Deputies were assisted at the scene by the Erie Police Department, Illinois State Police, Illinois Conservation Police, Erie Fire and EMS, and Todd’s Towing.