THORNDIKE - A Rhode Island man was seriously injured late Sunday afternoon after the all-terrain vehicle he was operating rolled over and onto him.

John Sylvia, 46, and his son were riding their ATVs on the gravel section of the Palmer Road, said Trooper Tom Welch who investigated the accident. Welch said the incident occurred around 5 p.m. after the two had been riding the machines most of the day.

Welch said Sylvia was turning off the Palmer Road and onto the lawn section of his property. "He began to make the turn when he lost control of the ATV and it rolled over and landed on him," Welch said. He said Sylvia sustained serious head injuries and required being lifeflighted to Eastern Maine Medical Center.

"Sylvia was not wearing a helmet," Welch said. A spokesman at the hospital on Monday said Sylvia remains in critical condition.

Welch said the ATV might have been going too fast for the turn. The vehicle was damaged but repairable.