CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Robert M. Mancini, Jr.
Region One Office, Lancaster, NH
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
February 22, 2020

Gorham, NH – At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 22, 2020, a woman sustained serious, but non-life-threatening injuries when she lost control of the rental snowmobile she had been operating and collided with a tree. The crash occurred on Pine Mountain Road in the Town of Gorham. A female passenger riding on the back of the snowmobile was not injured in the collision. The operator of the snowmobile was identified as Margaret Dalrymple, 23, of Monmouth Beach, New Jersey. The passenger was identified as Jaclyn Birnbaum, 23, of Commack, New York.

After the collision, Birnbaum called 911 and notified emergency personnel about the incident. First responders from the Gorham Fire Department, Berlin Fire Department, Gorham Ambulance, Berlin EMS, and New Hampshire State Police responded to the incident. Conservation Officers with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department also responded to investigate the incident. Due to the nature of the injuries to the operator and the distance from any maintained road, both the operator and passenger were transported from the scene of the collision to the Randolph Fire Department in separate tracked utility terrain vehicles (UTV). Ultimately, the operator was transported by Gorham Ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for further evaluation and treatment.

According to the operator, she did not have any prior experience operating a snowmobile. Both the operator and passenger were wearing helmets and appropriate gear for the conditions. Inexperience is considered the primary contributing factor in the collision. Alcohol or drugs were not a factor in the collision.

According to Conservation Officer Robert Mancini, “School vacations in neighboring states and New Hampshire along with favorable weather have resulted in a lot of people recreating on trails. Trail users should expect to see a high amount of traffic in the coming days and take additional precautions to ensure safety. As always, riders should follow other trail users at a safe distance in an effort to be able see and avoid potential hazards along the trail.”

For more information about safe riding, please visit http://www.ride.nh.gov.