ATV riding partners separate, both crash

Two men riding ATVs together in Kootenai County early this morning were injured in separate crashes after losing each other, the sheriff’s office said. The men were riding on Forest Service Road 268, about two miles east of the Fernan Rod and Gun Club, just after 4:30 a.m. when one of the ATVs failed to navigate a turn and went off the roadway. The man on the ATV in front did not immediately notice his friend was no longer behind him. When he eventually noticed, he turned around to look for his friend but then failed to navigate a separate turn and crashed the ATV. He was able to get up from the crash and walked about a third of a mile before he found his friend, who had fallen 30 feet into a ravine. The man in the ravine was calling for help, a news release from the sheriff’s office said. The man who was able to walk continued walking down the roadway until he had cell service and called 911. Emergency crews took one rider to Kootenai Medical Center where he is being treated for his injuries. The other rider left the scene in a personal vehicle. The crashes are under investigation, the release said.