CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Robert M. Mancini, Jr.
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
February 18, 2020

Dixville, NH – At approximately 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 14, 2020, two snow machine operators sustained serious injuries when the snow machines that they were operating collided. The collision occurred on Trail 134 in the Town of Dixville. The operators were identified as Gary Muise, 52, of Peabody, Massachusetts, and Jared Bielunis, 37, of Hatfield, Massachusetts.

Emergency personnel were notified of the crash by a 911 call from a fellow rider operating another snow machine. Upon being notified of the collision, medical and rescue personnel from 45th Parallel EMS, Colebrook Fire and Rescue, and two helicopters from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART) responded to the incident. Conservation Officers from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department also responded to the incident to investigate the scene of the collision and assist medical personnel.

Muise was transported in an Argo utility vehicle by Colebrook Fire and Rescue from the scene of the collision to a landing zone near the junction of 4 Mile Brook and Greenough Pond Road. He was then transported by DHART helicopter to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Hanover, New Hampshire. Bielunis was transported from the scene of the collision by Colebrook Fire and Rescue in a rescue sled being towed by a tracked ATV to an awaiting ambulance located at the Coleman Cottage parking area, which is located off Diamond Pond Road in the town of Stewartstown. Initially, Bielunis was taken to Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital (UCVH) in Colebrook, but was then subsequently transported to DHMC by DHART helicopter.

Based on information gathered at the scene of the collision and through witness interviews, it appears that the two snow machines collided near the center of the trail while traveling in opposite directions along Trail 134. The collision remains under investigation at this time. Both operators were wearing appropriate safety gear and equipment for the conditions. Alcohol or drugs do not appear to be a factor in the collision. For more information about safe riding, please visit www.ride.nh.gov.