TIM POND TOWNSHIP, Maine — A head-on crash between two snowmobiles Tuesday in Tim Pond Township sent both drivers to area hospitals around noon, which is the same time a man in Casco was ejected from his snowmobile, officials say.
Excessive speed is believed to be a factor in both crashes, Cpl. John MacDonald, public information officer for the warden service, said in a Tuesday night news release.
The Tim Pond crash occurred when Michael Ouellette, 52, of Topsham and Ryan Jones, 24, of Jefferson collided as the two tried to negotiate a turn from different directions, MacDonald said.
“Jones was approaching a curve in the trail when he was struck by Ouellette, who had entered the corner from the opposite direction at a high rate of speed,” he said. “Both men suffered serious injuries in the crash, and both snowmobiles sustained major damage.”
Rescue crews from Rangeley and Eustis responded to the scene. Ouellette was flown in a LifeFlight helicopter to Lewiston trauma center, and Jones was brought to Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington for injuries to his shoulder and face, MacDonald said.
In Casco, Dean Dunton, 55, was operating his 2003 Arctic Cat ZR900 on a section of trail on the pipeline when he struck some uneven packed snow and was ejected, MacDonald said.
“Excessive speed appears to be a factor in this crash as well,” he said.
Dunton, a Casco resident, was flown by LifeFlight to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.
The Tim Pond Township crash remains under investigation by Maine Warden Service.
“With great conditions and thousands of people taking to the trails, Maine game wardens are urging snowmobilers to slow down,” MacDonald said.
Excessive speed is a factor in many fatal and life-threatening crashes in Maine.
“Slow down and always provide plenty of time to stop or react to an unexpected object in the trail or an oncoming snowmobile,” MacDonald said.