Detectives with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a fatal ATV crash that claimed the life of a Polk City man early Thursday morning, April 23, 2026.
Authorities say deputies were called to the scene at approximately 3:01 a.m. on Fussell Road, about a quarter mile east of Commonwealth Avenue and roughly two miles north of Polk City, after reports of a serious crash involving an all-terrain vehicle.
When first responders arrived, they located the lone victim, identified as 39-year-old Brandon Roy Moran of Polk City, who was found deceased at the scene with severe head trauma.
According to preliminary findings from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit, Moran was operating a Polaris Sportsman 400 ATV when he reportedly lost control of the vehicle and was ejected, striking his head on the pavement.
Investigators believe Moran may have remained in the roadway for an unknown period of time before being struck by a passing vehicle. Authorities say the driver of that second vehicle did not stop at the scene and may not have realized a person had been struck.
Following the incident, Fussell Road was closed for approximately four hours as detectives processed the scene, collected evidence, and worked to reconstruct the sequence of events leading up to the fatal crash.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation remains active and ongoing as detectives continue working to identify the vehicle involved in the secondary impact and determine all contributing factors.
No additional details have been released at this time.
