UNION, W.Va. — A crash of an off-road vehicle in Monroe County claimed the life of one woman and left two more injured Monday night.
Family members identified the deceased victim as Erin Netzel, 60, wife of Monroe County Assessor Norbert Netzel. Erin’s sister Kelly Crosier, 59, suffered severe injuries and is hospitalized in stable condition at a Roanoke, Virginia hospital. The third victim was Claire Gibson who suffered a leg injury.
Monroe County Sheriff Jeff Jones said the three were riding on a trail atop Peters Mountain between Gap Mills and Rock Camp.
“They heard a pop and could smell the brakes and as they went down off the mountain, they heard another pop and they had no brakes at all. They went off the trail and hit a tree,” Jones said.
Relatives confirmed the brake failure, but add the emergency brake was used and slowed down the machine enough that two of the women were able to jump out before the impact. Netzel was the one who did not jump and was killed.
Erin Netzel and Kelly Crosier are the daughters of the late Gerald Crosier who served as the Monroe County Sheriff and five terms in the House of Delegates. Crosier is employed as a paramedic with the Monroe County Ambulance Authority. She shared her story of battling through Covid 19 last fall with MetroNews.
State Police are handling the accident investigation.