CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Robert M. Mancini, Jr.
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
February 1, 2021
Randolph, NH – At approximately 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 30, 2021, 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 incident occurred on Trail 12a in the area of the Warming Hut in the Town of Randolph. The operator of the snowmobile was identified as Colleen M. Legros, 43, of North Andover, Massachusetts.
After the collision, 911 was contacted and notifications were made to emergency personnel about the incident. First responders from the Randolph Fire Department, Gorham Fire Department, and Gorham Ambulance responded to the scene. A Conservation Officer with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department also responded to both the scene and hospital to assist with the rescue and investigation. Due to the nature of the injuries to the operator and the distance from any maintained road, the operator was transported from the scene of the collision to an awaiting ambulance on a tracked utility terrain vehicle (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 had started her ride approximately an hour before the incident occurred and had very little experience operating a snowmobile. Based on information provided by the operator and a witness, the snow machine was making a turn in the area of the Warming Hut when she suddenly mistook the throttle for the brake and accelerated abruptly over a snow bank, through the air and into a tree. The operator was wearing a helmet and had appropriate gear for the conditions. Operator inexperience is considered the primary contributing factor in the collision. Alcohol or drugs were not a factor in the collision.