CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Robert M. Mancini, Jr.
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
February 3, 2020
Berlin, NH – At approximately 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 1, 2020, a male juvenile operator sustained a serious, but non-life threatening injury when the snow machine he had been operating veered off the trail and collided with a tree. The collision occurred on Corridor 19 in the town of Berlin. The operator of the snow machine was a 13-year-old male from Connecticut.
Emergency personnel were notified of the crash by a 911 call from a fellow rider operating another snow machine. The father of the injured juvenile transported him from the scene of the collision to an awaiting ambulance that was staged at Gorham Sand and Gravel. Medical personnel from Gorham Fire/Emergency Medical Services transported the injured operator to Androscoggin Valley Hospital (AVH) in Berlin for further evaluation and treatment. Conservation Officer’s from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department responded to the scene of the collision and AVH as part of their investigation.
Based on information gathered at the scene of the collision and the hospital, it appears that inexperience was the major contributing factor to the collision. According to the operator, he was traveling south on Corridor 19 when he suddenly hit a bump in the trail, lost control, and collided with a tree. The operator was wearing a helmet and did have previous riding experience, but he had not operated that particular snow machine on trails prior to the incident.
For more information about safe riding, please visit www.ride.nh.gov.