REGINA — A 21-year-old male from Esterhazy is dead following a snowmobile accident south of that community on Monday afternoon — the second fatal snowmobile crash in the province in less than two weeks.
Esterhazy RCMP were called to the most recent accident at about 1:35 p.m. on Monday.
Sgt. Lawrence Whiteman with the Esterhazy RCMP said the 21-year-old was riding a snowmobile on private property about four kilometres south of the community when the accident occurred. Whiteman didn’t have immediate information on whether the property belonged to the 21-year-old or his family, or someone else.
Whiteman said the snowmobile was being driven up over a peak or a crest of a hill when it crashed into a snow embankment on the other side.
“EMS in Esterhazy had responded to the complaint as well, and at that time the victim, obviously he was injured and taken into the hospital here for treatment,” Whiteman said. “At that time, his injuries were undetermined, up until when our office received a report later on during the afternoon that he had died of his injuries.”
Police have not yet released the man’s name.
Whiteman said the investigation revealed alcohol was not a factor in the collision, nor was weather.
“Conditions were good yesterday (Monday),” he said. “I was outside myself.”
Whiteman said RCMP are blaming the crash on “driver error,” although the investigation was made more difficult without a living witness to describe the events. Whiteman said RCMP believe speed was likely a factor in the collision.
He added he believes the 21-year-old was wearing a helmet at the time.
On the afternoon of Dec. 19, Lumsden RCMP were called to an area on Last Mountain Lake near Regina Beach after a snowmobile crashed into a slow-moving truck. A 33-year-old Regina man was pronounced dead at the scene while his male passenger was taken to hospital for treatment of his injuries. Police said neither of the men were wearing helmets at the time of the crash.
The occupants of the truck weren’t injured.
RCMP were investigating the cause of that crash, but said visibility wasn’t a factor.
Follow Us