Two Snowmobile Accidents, One Fatal, Reported In Nisswa and Staples On Saturday

CASS COUNTY, MN (KDLM) – Two snowmobile crashes were reported in Minnesota over the weekend, resulting in serious injuries and one driver being pronounced dead at the scene.

The first accident was reported on Saturday, February 4th around 11:45 am. The Cass County  Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call stating that there was a snowmobile crash resulting in injuries on the Snowflea Snowmobile Trail in Nisswa.

An adult female, age 49 of Coon Rapids, was operating a 2020 Polaris Indy rental snowmobile with a juvenile male, age 15 of Coon Rapids, as a rear passenger. The snowmobile left the trail on a curve and struck a tree causing the rider and passenger to be ejected from the machine. The juvenile male was transported via helicopter to a St. Cloud hospital with serious injuries, the female was transported to a Brainerd hospital. Both were wearing helmets at the time of the crash.

A fatal snowmobile crash was reported at 4:55 p.m. that same day. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a snowmobile crash with serious injury on 72nd St. SW in Staples.

Deputies and responders arrived on the scene and found family and bystanders performing CPR on a 65-year-old male from Staples. The male was pronounced deceased on the scene. The investigation indicated that a family was returning to their residence from a snowmobile trip when the track on the victim’s snowmobile became dislodged from the 2007 Yamaha snowmobile, causing the machine to crash and eject the operator. The operator was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

Authorities added that an autopsy is scheduled with the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office and the incident remains under investigation.