Three snowmobilers died and four more were injured in separate accidents around the state between Friday and Sunday, according to the Maine Warden Service.
Odias Bachelder, 61, of Lang Township was operating his snowmobile on his way to Rangeley for the “Snowdeo” parade when he left the trail and was thrown from his sled about 5:20 p.m. Saturday on Interconnecting Trail System 89 in Dallas Plantation in Franklin County.
Mark Roux, 56, of Lee died after crashing his sled about 11:45 p.m. Saturday on the shore of Bill Green Pond in Lee.
Both men were wearing helmets, Cpl. John MacDonald of the Warden Service said Sunday afternoon in a press release.
Bachelder died at the scene from apparent blunt force trauma.
Roux was pronounced dead en route to Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln, MacDonald said. The Lee man crashed into a heavily wooded section of the shoreline.
The body of a third man was recovered Saturday afternoon from Graham Lake by a dive team. Matthew Divello, 49, of Mariaville, is believed to have died Friday when his snowmobile went through the ice.
“We’re always ready to deal with accidents,” MacDonald said Sunday, “but two, three or four, especially fatalities on a weekend taxes us. It certainly does.”
A Sanford man was listed Sunday in critical condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor after driving his snowmobile down an embankment in Monson late Saturday and spending the frigid night outside. Evan Bergeron, 34, left the camp where he was staying on Lake Hebron about 11:20 p.m., according to MacDonald. When he did not return, the camp owner notified authorities.
Wardens and deputies with the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office searched through the night, the Warden Service said in the press release.
Bergeron was found by a local resident off Pleasant Street in Monson. He apparently failed to negotiate a right-hand turn in the road and went down the embankment.
MacDonald said about 3:30 p.m. Sunday that the extent of Bergeron’s injuries were unknown but “believed to be serious.”
On Sunday afternoon, a Sanford man most likely broke several ribs when he rolled several times with his snowmobile down an embankment in Shapleigh.
Paul Rumery, 36, lost control of his machine about noon. He was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland for evaluation, according to MacDonald.
Two crashes were reported Saturday that left riders who live in northern Penobscot County injured.
In Township 4 Range 8, two sleds traveling in opposite directions collided around 2 p.m., according to MacDonald. Tyler Helsor, 23, of Lincoln suffered a broken femur when he was thrown from his sled. He was taken to Millinocket Regional Hospital.
The crash occurred at the crest of a hill on the Interconnecting Trail System near Bowlin Pond Camps.
The operator of the other snowmobile was not injured and was not identified, MacDonald said. The crash is still under investigation.
In Medway, a man reportedly suffered a minor shoulder injury after he flipped his sled while climbing a snowbank in his yard.
Richard Lee, 40, of Medway was treated at Millinocket Regional Hospital, MacDonald said.
Isn’t the trail in there one way because of those dips and blind spots?
nope.
3 in one weekend? That’s got to be a record.Sad record.
And one I hope is not soon broken.
No, that is not a record. Several years ago, there were 5 fatalities in one weekend.
The problem is that they don’t drive them fast enough. Much the same as people who drive on our highways. Speed seems to be soooooooooo important to many people. I say, “Slow down and smell the roses on the trails and roads instead of at the funeral home.”
You enjoy recreation one way, that doesn’t mean it is the only way.
perifunl, I have to agree with Bill; I think folks can enjoy snowmobiling without going too fast, especially on trails that they’re not VERY familiar with.
Just because you want to have fun in one way doesn’t make it right to restrict everyone to the same form. “Fast” is a completely subjective term because what I find fast you might not and what you find fast I might find incredibly slow. The only accident I every got into on my snowmobile was actually at very low speeds and was actually caused by going too slow around a corner. Had I been going faster nothing would have happened.
Somehow a politician, could be a republican or a democrat will take last weekends accidents and use it to take away some of our freedoms and rights under the guise of “public safety”.
“We’re always ready to deal with accidents”—–Cpl. John MacDonald of the Warden Service
An accident is something that happened as an act of god.
These are crashes.
Anyone who believes that a snowmobile accident is an Act of God is not snowmobiling with a “full deck.”
If you want to make it so people cant snowmobile then we need to do it to people that drive a car too. Seriously? These things happen. Weather you are an expert or not it just happens. We choose to drive cars and atv’s and such we take a risk everytime! Why dont we just say sorry for your losses to all the familys and not to ban snowmobiling. May you all rest in peace
We make such a big deal about the accidental deaths of people outside having a good time. How about the number of people who die sitting in a chair with a bag of cheeze doodles on their lap? Or in bed after another night of allen’s coffee brandy?
Give me a break: I’d rather die having a bit of fun. Better then dying in my bed or chair or car on the way to work…
I wish Id seen this before my answer to an about comment that was similar!!!! I agree whole heartedly! Hey,which is better,Dying doing something that you love? or in a bed,surrounded by strangers,being poked and medicated and used as an experiment by more often than not,inept physicians?Id opt for option number 1.Look at Steve Irvin! Yeah,it is too bad that he died,but what a way for someone like him to go!
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Do they have any sleds now that keep a person on the seat? Like a safety belt? I won’t go anymore. Slippery ski pants and a slippery seats don’t work for some of us smaller people…went flying off of that Polaris around a corner in broad daylight, 45 MPH tops, caught an edge. Better than being propelled into a tree if you ask me. I just happened to land in the trail, thankfully no one was coming the other way.
people should know that with the winter we have had that the lakes arent safe.
Speed kills. So does inattention, and for too many the change in mindset to deal with both may be too much to ask.
I knew Odie Batchalder , my prayers go out to his family and friends. Sad day in the Rangeley Lakes area I’m sure !
No State is going to put any meaningful restrictions on snowmobiliers and take the chance of losing their money. New Hampshire never imposes anything on anyone. This sport went from family fun to pretty much men on $15,000.00 sleds going mach 3. The deaths get reported, not even a small fraction of the injuries are really known to all of us.
“Ride Safe…Ride Sober…The life you save may be your own….”….We should all adhere…R.I.P. fellow sledders. I pray this is it for the season no matter how prepared the Warden Service is…..
Imagine if Maine had a hunting season’s with 3 or 4 deaths every year.