NRP patrol snowmobiles are operated by officers on the frozen surface of Deep Creek Lake. Maryland DNR photo.
A Pennsylvania man has been charged in connection with a fatal utility task vehicle (UTV) incident that occurred on Deep Creek Lake earlier this year.
Ricky A. Wise, 59, of Mount Pleasant, Pa., faces multiple criminal and traffic charges, including negligent manslaughter with a vehicle, negligent homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence, homicide with a motor vehicle while impaired, driving while under the influence of alcohol, and driving while impaired by alcohol, following a February UTV crash that led to the death of David T. Linsenbigler, 58, of Greensburg, Pa.
Wise was operating a 2014 Polaris RZR XP 1000 when the vehicle broke through the ice beneath the Glendale Bridge at Deep Creek Lake shortly after 5:30 p.m. on February 22, 2025.
Responders arrived to find Wise had exited the vehicle without emergency assistance. Linsenbigler, the passenger, remained trapped in the submerged wreckage until responders freed him and transported him to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Wise was treated for hypothermia and near-drowning at Garrett Regional Medical Center in Oakland and was released the following morning. Investigators later determined that Wise consumed alcoholic beverages throughout the course of the day at the Deep Creek Dunk prior to operating the UTV on the lake’s frozen surface. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that Wise had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above Maryland’s legal limit of 0.08% BAC.
Use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) is limited to snowmobiles within Deep Creek Lake Natural Resources Management Area, while UTVs are prohibited. Both occupants wore harnesses but did not wear helmets – which are required while operating an ORV – at the time of the accident. In coordination with the Garrett County State’s Attorney’s Office, Wise was formally charged via criminal summons on August 8 and is scheduled to stand trial in Garrett County District Court on October 7. If convicted on all charges, he could face a maximum sentence of 12 years and 2 months in prison and/or $16,700 in fines.
