PRINEVILLE, OR -- A 29-year-old Prineville man was seriously injured when the ATV he was driving flipped in a dry creek bed, Saturday afternoon. Crook County emergency crews responded to a ranch on NW McKay Creek Road, near NW Gerke Road, at about 2:30 p.m. after staff called for help. 

According to the Sheriff's Office, Joe Beers failed to check in with co-workers Saturday morning, prompting employees to search the area. They discovered the crash, which appears to have occurred several hours earlier, and Beers, who was unable to call for help.

Investigators believe Beers was riding on an unimproved dirt road and failed to negotiate a curve. He rolled the vehicle about five feet down an embankment; he was not using a safety belt or helmet. Beers was taken by ground ambulance to St. Charles Prineville then flown to Bend for treatment for a severe head injury. 

UPDATE (08/21/18): As of Tuesday morning, Beers is listed in Fair condition at St. Charles Bend.