Two Men Hurt in A.T.V. Crash Remain in Hospital

Two men were seriously injured when their all-terrain vehicles collided head-on behind the Montauk recycling center on Sunday afternoon.

East Hampton Town police said Henry O. Sjoman, 24, and John R. Veitch, 31, both of whom are from Montauk, were riding four-wheelers when they hit each other on a dirt road between North Shore Road and the recycling center at about 3:25 p.m. The collision took place on town property, according to Lt. A.J. McGuire.

As of Wednesday morning, Mr. Sjoman was listed in critical condition and Mr. Veitch in serious condition, according to a Stony Brook University Hospital spokeswoman. Both men were wearing helmets, police said. They were riding with a third man, a brother of one of the men.

Montauk Fire Department personnel treated the two after they were found on the southeast outskirts of the old capped landfill, according to Chief Joe Lenahan. About 30 fire and emergency medical service members responded, including heavy-rescue volunteers.

They called for helicopters to transport them to Stony Brook University Hospital, the nearest trauma center. Mr. Sjoman’s condition deteriorated, however, and he was taken by ambulance to Southampton Hospital. He was later flown to Stony Brook.

State and town codes prohibit riding A.T.V.s on public land. “You can only ride on private property with permission of the owner,” Lieutenant McGuire said.

Chief Michael Sarlo of the town police said yesterday that his department has not received many complaints about off-roading in the area where the accident occurred. “Between state park land and town land, we do know there has been activity in the past,” he said. “There have not been many instances of A.T.V.s riding on town-owned property that we are aware of,” he continued, adding that there have been complaints about riding in some of the nature preserves.

Following the accident, the Police Department is looking at possible safety improvements, such as posting more signs and working with other town departments to address access. The men are believed to have started their ride from a house on North Shore Road.

“Obviously, the safety of the community is important, along with protection of town lands. However, typically when responding to complaints of A.T.V.s our officers attempt to locate the access points and find the vehicles that may have transported the A.T.V.s to the site,” Chief Sarlo said.

“We impound a handful of A.T.V.s every year that we are able to catch coming out of town property, and we issue summonses under the town code or Vehicle and Traffic Law whenever is applicable based on what responding officers observe.”