Snowmobiler killed in Chippewa County crash
NEWBERRY – A 51-year-old Saginaw man was pronounced dead at Helen Newberry Joy Hospital on Tuesday afternoon after the snowmobile he was riding missed a curve and struck in tree in Chippewa County.
The name of the man is being withheld pending completion of the county medical examiner’s report.
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, emergency responders – including Whitefish Township EMS, Whitefish Township Fire and DNR conservation officers — were summoned to Snowmobile Trail No. 8, between M-123 and the Curley Lewis Highway, on a report of a snowmobile accident with serious injuries.
The crash scene is located south of Paradise and Whitefish Point and west of Sault Ste. Marie in Whitefish Township. Snowmobile Trail No. 8 is the main east-west trail in the Upper Peninsula.
“It appears the operator of the snowmobile was unable to negotiate a corner on the trail and struck a tree,” said Lt. Skip Hagy, DNR District 2 law supervisor. “Resuscitation efforts were performed on-scene and the victim was transported by ambulance to Helen Newberry Joy Hospital in Newberry where he was declared deceased.”
Crash investigation was performed by the Michigan DNR Law Enforcement Division and the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office.
In the wake of several fatal crashes in Michigan this winter, DNR conservation officers are reminding snowmobilers to ride safely.
“We are advising snowmobile operators to watch their speed and drive cautiously, especially in areas they are unfamiliar with,” Hagy said. “A large percentage of snowmobile accidents occur when drivers come into a corner too fast and go off the trail.”