CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Matthew Holmes
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
January 28, 2022
Pittsburg, NH – On the afternoon of Thursday, January 27, 2022, a Rhode Island woman sustained significant injuries after crashing her rented snowmobile into a tree adjacent to a snowmobile trail in the vicinity of Beach Road.
At approximately 4:00 p.m., Betty Jane Volpe, 49, of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, took a turn while operating a snowmobile that she and her husband had rented. Shortly after taking control of the machine, Volpe accidently hit the throttle while making a turn, causing her to lose control of the machine and strike a tree. Volpe was thrown from the machine during the crash, striking a tree with her body as well. Following the crash, Volpe was quickly discovered by other members of her riding party. She was subsequently given a ride from the scene back to her rental cabin. Once at the cabin, an increase in her level of pain prompted her companions to make a call for help.
Upon receiving the call for help, personnel from the Pittsburg Police Department, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and 45th Parallel EMS responded to the area. Volpe was subsequently taken by ambulance to Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital in Colebrook for further evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
A subsequent investigation of the crash by Conservation Officers revealed that operator inexperience was a major contributing factor. Volpe was wearing proper safety equipment at the time of the crash, and her riding companions were fully cooperative with the crash investigation.