Alcohol concern before fatality

A VIDEO posted to social media which allegedly shows three people drinking alcohol while driving a quad bike in the lead-up to a fatal crash is believed to have been seized by police.

Julatten apprentice diesel fitter Tyler Pashen, 21, died on Saturday when the quad bike he was riding on with two friends rolled down an embankment on Quaid Road near Mount Molloy.

Footage was allegedly posted on social media prior to the crash showing the trio consuming alcopop-type drinks while on the vehicle.

Mr Pashen was declared dead at the scene, while a man and woman in their early 20s were treated for minor injuries in Mareeba Hospital.

Police have not laid any charges over the crash but have put out a further call for witnesses as they try to piece together what led up to the crash. They have called on anyone who saw a red Honda all-terrain vehicle side-by-side with a dog on the back on Quaid Road during Saturday to contact police.

Investigations have revealed the ATV left Julatten about 11am and drove down Black Mountain Road, along Quaid Road and Hodzaic Road and the surrounding tracks, a police spokeswoman said.

“Quaid Road is a private bitumen sealed road that has public access and starts opposite the Big Mitchell Creek Reserve,’’ she said. “Anyone who may have seen the ATV and the three occupants or who may have video footage is urged to contact Mareeba Police on 4030 3300 and quote QP2001438145.”

Colleagues at Oakdare Holdings remembered Mr Pashen as an industrious employee who loved “anything that had an engine”, and as a “really good kid”. He was one of four to die in the Far North over the weekend in a horror weekend on local roads.