A 51-year-old Saginaw man was pronounced dead at Helen Newberry Joy Hospital in Newberry Tuesday afternoon after a snowmobile crash. The snowmobile he was riding missed a curve and struck in tree in Chippewa County.

Authorities are withholding the man’s name pending completion of the county medical examiner’s report.

At about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, emergency responders were summoned to Snowmobile Trail No. 8, between M-123 and the Curley Lewis Highway. A caller reported a snowmobile accident with serious injuries.

The crash occurred south of Paradise and Whitefish Point and west of Sault Ste. Marie in Whitefish Township. Snowmobile Trail No. 8 is the main east-west trail in the Upper Peninsula.

“It appears the operator of the snowmobile was unable to negotiate a corner on the trail and struck a tree,” said Lt. Skip Hagy, DNR District 2 law supervisor. “Resuscitation efforts were performed on-scene and the victim was transported by ambulance to Helen Newberry Joy Hospital in Newberry where he was declared deceased.”

The Michigan DNR Law Enforcement Division and the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office investigated the crash.

Sled safely

In the wake of several fatal crashes in Michigan this winter, DNR conservation officers remind snowmobilers to ride safely.

“Snowmobile operators need to watch their speed and drive cautiously, especially in unfamiliar areas,” Hagy said. “A large percentage of snowmobile accidents occur when drivers come into a corner too fast and go off the trail.”

For more information on snowmobiling in Michigan, including current laws and regulations, visit the DNR’s website at www.michigan.gov/snowmobiling.