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Tag: ATV crash

  • Charlotte woman latest victim to die after crash at ATV park in SC, coroner says

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    For the second time in October a person has died at an ATV park in South Carolina, according to the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office.

    Larissa Cubas, a 28-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, died last weekend in what Coroner Chris Hill called an accident.

    The crash happened Oct. 25 at Carolina Adventure World, Hill said Tuesday in a news release.

    The wreck

    Cubas was driving an ATV at the park when the vehicle rolled over and landed on her, according to the release.

    The Charlotte woman was pinned underneath the ATV, the coroner’s office said. Although emergency medical crews responded to the ATV park and provided aid to Cubas, she died at the scene, the coroner’s office said.

    No other injuries were reported.

    The crash continues to be investigated by the coroner’s office. An autopsy has been scheduled to be performed in Newberry to determine a cause of death, Hill said.

    Carolina Adventure World calls itself the “Southeast’s largest outdoor playground,” with more than 120 miles of off-road ATV, UTV and dirt bike trails. It’s in Winnsboro, about 40 miles north of Columbia.

    Past victims

    This is not the first death reported at Carolina Adventure World.

    Earlier this month a 33-year-old Columbia man died in what the coroner’s office called an accident on a dirt bike trail. The man was driving an ATV when the vehicle crashed, according to the coroner’s office. Further information about the wreck was not available, but the man was taken from the ATV park by EMS then airlifted by helicopter to Prisma Health Richland hospital where he died.

    In July 2022, 35-year-old Charlotte man died at the Midlands ATV park after the vehicle he was riding flipped over and landed on him, the coroner’s office said.

    In February 2022, two South Carolina men were killed in a crash. A 32-year-old from Little River was driving an ATV with a 46-year-old from Longs on board as a passenger when they lost control and the ATV crashed through a gate and went down a 30-foot embankment, the coroner’s office said.

    The ATV rolled over numerous times, ejecting both men who died at the scene, according to the coroner’s office.

    In August 2021, a 22-year-old Charlotte man was a passenger on an ATV and died after he was thrown from the vehicle after the driver lost control, the coroner’s office said.

    Another death was reported in 2020, when a 23-year-old Charlotte man was killed in collision. He was pinned under a vehicle after it flipped at the Midlands ATV park.

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    Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999.
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  • ‘I heard the dog!’ How a pet led rescuers to LendingTree CEO’s body at NC farm

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    The barking of a “little labradoodle” led rescuers to the body of LendingTree CEO and chairman Doug Lebda, who was found pinned under an overturned all-terrain vehicle on his family farm in western North Carolina last weekend, according to a 911 call and Polk County records released Friday.

    The family pet helped responders find Lebda after he’d gone missing on the sprawling 277-acre property in Mill Spring, add Polk County.

    Lebda, 55, died Oct. 12 in an ATV accident, his Charlotte-based fintech company said Monday. With nearly 1,000 employees, the company that Lebda founded lets borrowers browse loans from multiple providers including credit cards, mortgages or personal loans.

    Lebda was found dead and alone in a field or wooded area on the farm at 10580 NC Highway 108 in Mill Spring, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

    The Charlotte Observer obtained the 911 call and Polk County 911 communications report from a public records request.

    At 7:31 p.m., the Polk County 911 Communications center received a call from a Rutherfordton man reporting Lebda missing. The caller stated he did not know the exact address but indicated it was near a silo on Highway 108 at the Green River bridge. His identity was redacted by the county.

    The 911 dispatcher asked if he needed the law, fire or medical.

    “I need everybody because this owner has disappeared at this farm right here where the pond is,” the caller said. He identified the owner as Lebda, who had left on his ATV at 3 p.m. and had not returned, according to the 911 report.

    Lebda also did not have his phone with him, the caller said. Lebda’s wife, Megan, had called him from their home in Charlotte, the caller said, because nobody could find him.

    “I just work for him, and I’m over here trying to find him,” the caller said.

    The caller advised to bring ATVs because Lebda was on a red Honda Pioneer with headlights and a roll cage. He also had his “little labradoodle” with him, the caller said.

    “We heard the dog barking a while ago, but now we can’t find the dog,” the caller said. “The dog is with Doug. Megan is in Charlotte. He’s here by himself.”

    LendingTree CEO Doug Lebda's dog barking helped first responders find him after a fatal ATV accident on this family farm in western North Carolina, according to the 911 call and report from Polk County E-911 Communications.
    LendingTree CEO Doug Lebda’s dog barking helped first responders find him after a fatal ATV accident on this family farm in western North Carolina, according to the 911 call and report from Polk County E-911 Communications. David T. Foster III dtfoster@charlotteobserver.com

    The search for Doug Lebda

    Soon after, at 7:35 p.m., the caller said excitedly: “I heard that dog! He barked one time. He’s on that hill. … There it was again.”

    ”Does the bark sound like it’s a distressed bark or just an alert bark?” the dispatcher asked.

    “It’s just barking across the dam,” said the caller, who indicated others already were there helping in the search.

    At 7:36 p.m., just minutes after the 911 call was received, Polk County Sheriff’s Office was en route, the 911 report shows, followed by emergency management, fire and medic. The sheriff’s office was first on the scene at 7:51 p.m. A drone to help in the search was requested less than 10 minutes later, but Lebda’s body was found at 8:06 p.m. ”pinned under the overturned side-by-side.”

    The scene was cleared by the sheriff’s office at 9:46 p.m.

    A Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigator determined there were no indications of foul play, a county spokesperson previously said.

    LendingTree CEO and chairman Doug Lebda's’ dog helped find him on his sprawling 227-acre Mill Spring after his fatal ATV accident.
    LendingTree CEO and chairman Doug Lebda’s’ dog helped find him on his sprawling 227-acre Mill Spring after his fatal ATV accident. Polk County property records

    Remembering LendingTree’s Doug Lebda

    Lebda had purchased the sprawling, riverfront farm for $2.75 million in July. He had long dreamed of owning such a farm, according to his obituary. The farm is about 80 miles west of Charlotte off U.S. 74 near Lake Lure.

    A Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, native, Lebda launched LendingTree in 1996 after a frustrating experience trying to secure his first mortgage. LendingTree offered a new concept during the early years of the internet, allowing people to comparison-shopping loans online.

    Lebda’s impact extended beyond the business community, through philanthropy and other projects, such as serving as co-chairman of the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte.

    Lebda is survived by his wife of nearly 10 years, Megan, and three daughters Rachel, Abby and Sophia.

    A public memorial service for Lebda is set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, at Founders Hall in uptown Charlotte, according to his obituary at Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service.

    This story was originally published October 17, 2025 at 12:13 PM.

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    Catherine Muccigrosso is the retail business reporter for The Charlotte Observer. An award-winning journalist, she has worked for multiple newspapers and McClatchy for more than a decade.

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  • 70-year-old woman dies after ATV crash in Nevada County

    70-year-old woman dies after ATV crash in Nevada County

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    A 70-year-old woman died after an ATV crashed on private property in south Nevada County on Monday, officials said. The California Highway Patrol said the crash was reported around 8:50 a.m. at the property off Springfield Drive, east of Dog Bar Road. Officers with CHP’s Grass Valley division determined the woman, Susan McFarlane, had made an unsafe turning movement with a 2003 Yamaha Kodiak quad. She was ejected when the car rolled over and died at the scene, CHP said. McFarlane was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, according to CHP. Drugs and alcohol are not suspected as a factor.CHP did not say who owned the property where the crash happened. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

    A 70-year-old woman died after an ATV crashed on private property in south Nevada County on Monday, officials said.

    The California Highway Patrol said the crash was reported around 8:50 a.m. at the property off Springfield Drive, east of Dog Bar Road.

    Officers with CHP’s Grass Valley division determined the woman, Susan McFarlane, had made an unsafe turning movement with a 2003 Yamaha Kodiak quad.

    She was ejected when the car rolled over and died at the scene, CHP said.

    McFarlane was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, according to CHP. Drugs and alcohol are not suspected as a factor.

    CHP did not say who owned the property where the crash happened.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

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