A 27-year-old man’s encounter with a dog while riding an ATV late Friday night left him hospitalized with multiple injuries at Indianapolis.

Zachary Bowers of Medora was flown from a temporary landing zone at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department in Brownstown after the incident, reported just before 11:30 p.m. Friday.

Bowers was found face down and unconscious on County Road 825W near Curry Road in Carr Township by a motorist, according to a report from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement.

A conservation officer arriving a short time later found Bowers’ all-terrain vehicle over an embankment. Bowers was not wearing a helmet or any safety equipment, and police believe alcohol was a factor in the wreck, Conservation Officer Jim Schreck said. Toxicology reports are pending.

Schreck, public information officer for District 8, said the preliminary investigation shows Bowers struck and killed a dog in the roadway and then flipped his ATV several times.

Personnel with Jackson County Emergency Medical Services treated Bowers at the scene before taking him to the landing zone in Brownstown where he was picked up and flown to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis by StatFlight helicopter.

Officers with the sheriff’s department also responded to the crash along with emergency personnel and firefighters with Carr Township Fire Department.

The incident remains under investigation.

Schreck said conservation officers encourage people riding ATVs to always wear a helmet and other necessary safety equipment.