IFN Staff

A Statesville man was fatally injured early Sunday morning in a ATV crash off Saw Mills Road in northern Iredell County.

The N.C. Highway Patrol responded to the scene of the crash on Saw Mills Road near Union Grove Road around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

According to troopers, Seth Allen Paynter, 25, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Paynter was traveling northwest on Saw Mills Road in a 2019 Polaris RZR when he lost control of the all-terrain-vehicle, which crossed the center line, went off the roadway and overturned, according to the NCSHP.

Paynter, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle, troopers said.

The initial investigation indicates that alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash, according to the NCSHP.

Saw Mills Road was closed near the scene of the accident for about two hours during the investigation.