Blaine County authorities are somewhat puzzled over circumstances leading to an all-terrain vehicle crash that claimed the life of a Twin Falls man Saturday near Magic Reservoir.
Seventy-year-old Jimmie Joe Mudd died from injuries received in the accident, but why he crashed in the first place is somewhat of a mystery.
The Blaine County Sheriff's Office reported Monday that Mudd was with an ATV club that was on a "poker run" in the Myrtle Point area near Magic Reservoir when the mishap occurred shortly before 4:30 p.m.
Sheriff's Lt. Ron Taylor said Mudd was apparently some 100 yards ahead of the group, which found him underneath his ATV when they caught up to him.
Taylor said the cause of the accident is puzzling because the terrain where it occurred is "mostly flat with no obstacles out there."
"It is a mystery," Taylor said. "No one saw what happened. People who were there said he wasn't driving recklessly or speeding. It overturned and landed on top of him. We don't know why—it's still under investigation."
Attempts to revive Mudd were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene by Blaine County Coroner Russell Mikel.
The cause of death was "multiple trauma—head, neck and chest," Mikel said Monday. "His wife said he had a history of heart ailments, but he definitely died from the injuries."
Mikel said he was unable to determine whether or not Mudd may have passed out prior to the accident. He said the accident scene was severely disturbed by footprints and vehicles, making it difficult to ascertain what happened.
"For unknown reasons, he just lost control," Mikel said.
