Officials said the Phoenix Fire Department chief who was killed in an ATV accident in northern Arizona was traveling too fast when his vehicle flipped.
According to officials, Christopher Fitzmaurice was elk hunting just south of the Grand Canyon and Tusayan with a friend. Fitzmaurice was behind the wheel when the vehicle rolled over and landed on him on Forest Road 328.
Around 6:40 a.m. on Friday, medical crews were called by the man's friend.
Fitzmaurice was pinned underneath the vehicle and was not breathing. Medics arrived at the scene 25 minutes after the call was placed and were able to free the man; however he had no pulse and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined Fitzmaurice was traveling too fast while making turns in the road. His vehicle began to slide in the first turn and then slid as he entered a second turn. A front tire hit a water drainage dirt berm that caused the ATV to flip and roll over to the driver's side.
Fitzmaurice and his passenger were not wearing seatbelts and both were ejected from the ATV. The passenger was not injured.
Fitzmaurice suffered head trauma; an autopsy by the Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office will determine his official cause of death.
