By DAN HEATH
Staff Writer
WILLSBORO —
A Lewis man was killed in an all-terrain vehicle accident Saturday evening.
A preliminary investigation established that Tarry A. Wilcox, 43, was operating a 2002 Yamaha ATV southbound on Route 22 at about 7:35 p.m. in the Town of Willsboro, according to Lewis-based State Police. He reportedly failed to negotiate a left turn onto Bay Road, which caused the ATV to overturn and eject Wilcox onto the road.
Willsboro Fire Department and EMS responded and transported Wilcox to Elizabethtown Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police reported alcohol and excessive speed are suspected as the primary factors in the accident. In addition, Wilcox was not wearing a helmet and the ATV was not registered or insured.
Essex County Coroner Walter Marvin Jr. ordered an autopsy that was conducted at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake Sunday. Marvin said Dr. C. Francis Varga performed the autopsy Sunday afternoon and declared multiple blunt-force injuries to be the immediate cause of death.
Allan Denton of Lewis said he and Wilcox used to camp in trailers they set up between his house and a nearby brook. The families would enjoy the cool breezes that came down the brook as they enjoyed cookouts and bonfires, he said.
Wilcox was just an average guy.
“He was happy-go-lucky most of the time,” Denton said. “He liked to kid around with people. He loved to joke around.”
Andy Cassavaugh said Wilcox lived across the street from him on Holbert Road in Lewis until about two years ago, when Wilcox and his wife, Anita, moved to a new home on Route 9. Cassavaugh said he just found out about the tragedy late Sunday afternoon.
“We talked quite a bit,” Cassavaugh said. “He was very easy to get along with. He had quite a few friends.”
Wilcox was a skilled carpenter and loved hunting and the outdoors, he said.
Sunday afternoon, Lewis Town Councilor James Monty said he was saddened to hear of the accident. He said Wilcox was a self-employed carpenter and very handy, kind of a jack-of-all-trades.
“He was a very community-oriented guy. He was always willing to give a hand to anybody,” Monty said.
Cassavaugh said Mrs. Wilcox has a lot of family in the area to turn to for support. He works for her brother, Lewis Town Highway Superintendent Eldred Hutchins.
Cassavaugh said Wilcox was a “fun-loving guy who loved a good joke. He’s going to be missed by a lot of people.”
E-mail Dan Heath at:
dheath@pressrepublican.com
