3 snowmobile crashes send drivers to hospitals

Three snowmobile accidents last weekend and this week sent drivers to area hospitals. Causes range from inexperience to alleged impaired riding.

Hebron

A Windham operator was hospitalized Saturday with minor injuries after crashing a snowmobile when it struck a rock, and threw her from the machine into trees off the trail.

Fish and Game officers were notified of a snowmobile collision with an injury on Corridor 24, in Hebron, at 12:40 p.m., on Feb. 7.

A conservation officer, patrolling on snowmobile at the Great Meredith Rotary Fishing Derby, was diverted to Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth, where the driver was taken by the Hebron Fire Department.

Charleen Gosson, 56, of Windham, was reportedly riding her snowmobile eastbound on Corridor 24, when her ski hit a rock and threw her off.

Conservation officers are reminding the public to always use caution, as trail conditions can vary quickly.

“Always familiarize yourself with snowmobile operation before you ride, and always wear your helmet,” according to Fish and Game.

Moultonborough

A Massachusetts driver, allegedly over the legal alcohol limit while operating a snowmobile, was charged with drunk driving, after crashing and hitting a tree, injuring himself on Saturday.

According to Fish and Game officers, first responders were called to the Corridor 15 snowmobile trail, in Moultonborough, for a report of a snowmobile crash with injury, at 11:33 p.m., on Feb. 7.

Responders found Zachary Whittemore, 23, of Oxford, Massachusetts, with significant injuries after hitting a tree. Moultonborough firefighters took Whittemore to an ambulance in a rescue vehicle, and he was taken to the Moultonborough Airport, and flown by helicopter to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.

An investigation at the scene found Whittemore missed a curve and hit a tree. He was later charged for drunk driving.

Moultonborough Fire-Rescue and Police, Stewart’s Ambulance, State Police, and Fish and Game responded.

Northfield

A Sanbornton operator hurt their leg and back after crashing a borrowed snowmobile into a tree, in Northfield, on Monday night.

According to Fish and Game officers, Warren Smith, 35, was riding with a group of friends on a town trail east of Bean Hill Road, when he crashed, at about 7:15 p.m. on Feb. 9.

State Police, Northfield Police, Tilton-Northfield Fire & EMS, and Fish and Game responded to the crash. Tilton-Northfield Arch Trail Snowmobile Club members helped extract Smith with a tracked snow machine from the back of a wooded lot. They relayed him to a driveway, where he was taken by ambulance to Concord Hospital-Concord.

Tilton-Northfield Arch Trail Snowmobile Club also assisted in recovering the snowmobile.

Smith told officers he was unfamiliar with the trail system, and when he braked, he went off the trail into soft snow and lost traction. He was wearing a helmet, and a preliminary investigation found he was not driving under the influence of drugs.

Information about snowmobile safety can be found at wildlife.nh.gov.