CONTACT:
Conservation Officer James Cyrs III
603-744-5470
603-271-3361
January 30, 2022
Boscawen, NH – In the early afternoon of Sunday, January 30, 2022, a woman crashed the snowmobile that she was operating on Corridor 2, also known as the Northern Rail Trail.
Shortly before 1:00 p.m., Paula Hendrick, 50, of Concord, NH, collided with trees after becoming overcome by the ungroomed snow on the side of the trail. Hendrick and her riding party slowed down and yielded to the right for traffic that was traveling in the opposite direction when the incident occurred. The other group of riders had stopped to let Hendrick’s group continue on when she inadvertently accelerated into the trees, fell off of the snowmobile, and slid down a very steep embankment toward the Merrimack River. The groups of riders immediately placed a call to 911 after the incident occurred.
Upon receiving word of the incident, Boscawen Fire Department, Boscawen Police Department, a Merrimack County Sherriff’s Deputy, Penacook Rescue, and a Conservation Officer initially responded to the scene of the crash. Because of the distance of the crash scene to the nearest road, Concord Fire Department responded to the location with a tracked utility terrain vehicle to transport her to an awaiting ambulance. Due to the serious, potentially life-threatening injury that Hendrick sustained, she was transported by Penacook Rescue Ambulance to Concord Hospital for further evaluation and treatment of her injuries.
The operator was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, and rider inexperience is considered to be the leading cause of the accident.