GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY — The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office said Monday, Dec. 23 that a snowmobiler died in an accident.
On Dec. 22 at 1:51 p.m., deputies were sent to a crash just off the marked snowmobile trail near the Rasho Road Trailhead in East Bay Township. Deputies were told that a 2024 Polaris snowmobile collided with an iron powerline structure.
The snowmobile was a two-up model and had two people on it.
When deputies arrived on scene, they located the two injured people. They both suffered major injuries in the collision, deputies said. The operator was identified as a 30-year-old female from Illinois, and the passenger was a 32-year-old male from Illinois.
Both were treated at the scene and then taken to Munson Medical Center.
Deputies said the man died at Munson from his injuries.
Both riders were wearing helmets. It is believed that speed and inexperience of operating a snowmobile were contributing factors in the crash, deputies said.
The incident is under investigation.
