Police Allege Drinking is Cause of Snowmobile Crash

According to a press release put out by the Gaylord City Police, a recent snowmobile accident left one man dead and another man behind bars. The reason for the incarceration of one of the people involved in the accident was drunk driving, which, according to police, was also the reason for the snowmobile crash.

Police say that the incident took place at about 2:30 in the morning. It involved three people, who were allegedly intoxicated at the time, a 38-year-old Gaylord man, a 40-year-old Gaylord man, and a 54-year-old Oakland man. They were traveling together on snowmobiles down Trail 7. They reached a part of the trail with a significant bend in it, that later straightened back out. But this caused no small amount of trouble for the riders.

Police say that as the 38-year-old’s snowmobile merged back onto the trail after the bend, his snowmobile was struck by the Oakland man’s snowmobile, which ultimately killed him. The third snowmobile driver struck a tree with his vehicle. The Oakland man then left the scene on foot, walking through the snow, which was how police found him a short while later.

After officers found the unresponsive man who died at the scene, and the man who had struck a tree, they followed the footprints in the snow and found the third man. The man who struck a tree was transported to McLaren Northern Michigan in Petoskey for treatment of his non-life threatening injuries, whereas the man who walked away from the scene was arrested.

He has since been charged with operating while intoxicated causing death and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Both are felonies under Michigan law, and can result in serious prison time if convicted. According to the police who made the arrest, this is the Gaylord man’s second drunk driving offense on record.