Snowmobiler sent to hospital after accident on Big Lake

GILFORD — A snowmobiler suffered head and other injuries in an accident on Lake Winnipesaukee near Governors Island.

Gilford Fire Department personnel were dispatched to the north side of Governors Island about 1:15 p.m. Saturday. When they arrived on the scene they found the snowmobiler was on the ice about 500 yards offshore from 374 Edgewater Drive.

The victim — a man whose named was not released — was conscious, but suffering from head, arm, and leg injuries.

“It appears the operator hit an ice ridge and was thrown from the machine. He was wearing a helmet,” Gilford Fire Chief Steve Carrier said.

Bystanders used their snowmobiles to transport rescue personnel to the injured man. The man was suffering from trauma from the accident but was conscious and alert,  Carrier said. Other personnel reached the scene on the department’s all-terrain vehicle, outfitted with tracks and equipped with a Stokes basket litter, to transport the patient back to shore, where an ambulance was waiting at the Governors Island Beach.

The man was transported to Concord Hospital for treatment. Six Gilford personnel staffed an ambulance, a utility truck with a utility terrain vehicle, and a command vehicle to make the rescue. A Laconia Fire Department ambulance was dispatched from the Weirs Beach Fire Station and assisted at the scene.

“We were lucky the patient was in a relatively easy location to find and to access. Our personnel are well-trained and experienced in these types of rescues it showed today,” Carrier said. The chief noted the ATV made it possible to bring the victim to shore in just over 20 minutes after rescue personnel reached the man.

In addition to the Laconia Fire Department, Gilford Police and state Fish and Game personnel also provided assistance.