MONTREAL -- A woman has died after an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident in Saint-Fulgence, in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec.

Alcohol may have played a role in the accident.

The victim was following another ATV on Saturday evening, on rang Saint-Francois, when the man in front realized he was alone. He notified emergency services at around 8 p.m. and while back-tracking he found the victim in a ditch.

The 55-year-old woman was thrown from her ATV near a curve. She was taken to the Chicoutimi hospital, where she was pronounced dead a few hours later. The victim is a resident of Saint-Fulgence.

"What the investigation reveals to us is that the two quad riders were not wearing protective helmets and that alcohol could be involved," said Surete du Quebec (SQ) spokesperson Marie-Michele Moore.

The man accompanying the woman was arrested for impaired driving. His blood-alcohol level was more than triple the legal limit, said Moore.

The ATV he was driving was seized by police and his driver's licence was suspended.

The man in his 50s is from Saint-Fulgence and is expected to appear at a later date to face a charge of impaired driving.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2020.