A 24-year-old Jefferson man was injured in a head-on snowmobile crash in Tim Pond Township around noon, Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Ryan Jones was approaching a curve when Michael Ouellette, 52, of Topsham, entered the curve from the opposite direction at a high rate of speed and struck Jones’ snowmobile, according to a Facebook post by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Jones was transported to Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington for injuries to his face and shoulder, according to the post. He was treated and released, according to a hospital spokesperson.
A LifeFlight helicopter transported Ouellette to a Lewiston trauma center.
Both men were wearing helmets.
Both snowmobiles sustained “major damage,” according to the post.
The crash remains under investigation by the Maine Warden Service.
Rescue workers from Eustis and Rangeley assisted at the scene.
The post, which also contains information about a crash in Casco, warns snowmobilers to use caution on the trails.
“With great conditions and thousands of people taking to the trails, Maine game wardens are urging snowmobilers to slow down,” the department said in the post. “Contributing factors to many fatal and life-threatening crashes here in Maine continue to involve excessive speeds.”
“Slow down and always provide plenty of time to stop or react to an unexpected object in the trail or an oncoming snowmobile,” the department said. “Fines and jail time can result if snowmobile operators are found to be operating recklessly or too fast for the conditions. Ride safely and responsibly.”
