WAYLAND, N.Y. (AP) – A Steuben County man has been charged with operating a snowmobile while drunk – in June.

State police say 46-year-old Carl Kruchten of Wayland was arrested after they got reports of someone snowmobiling across yards and causing damage on Wednesday.

They say Kruchten’s blood alcohol level was .18%, just more than twice the legal limit. He’s due in the town of Wayland court on July 1.

Ken Burlew, 66, of Ithaca, was involved in a scary crash with defending Bike/Sled champion Brent Garcia, Cincinnatus, when the wheelie bar on Garcia’s Buell motorcycle broke off, forcing the motorcycle rider into Burlew’s lane, where he was accelerating on his snowmobile.

Burlew’s drag racing Skidoo snowmobile, equipped with special front rollers made for asphalt or concrete track racing, made contact with Garcia’s motorcycle, catapulting Burlew and his snowmobile into the air. Burlew fell backwards and heavily impacted the surface.

Track and emergency personnel responded immediately to the stricken driver. Renee Jordan, the track’s trained emergency technician, cleared Burlew’s airway, and track personnel treated the driver until the Robert Packer Hospital helicopter arrived and transported the stricken rider.

Following two cat scans and other tests, Burlew was released after a night’s stay at the Sayre health care facility. There were no broken bones, and Burlew luckily escaped what many at the track felt was a very frightening incident.

“I’m proud of all of my emergency personnel and employees who took immediate action in caring for Ken,” said Track Director and Promoter Amy Culver. “Incidents like this happen in racing, and I’m happy to say that Ken received immediate care which lessened the chances of a more serious result.”

Racing for the day was postponed following the harrowing accident and will be rescheduled at a future date. Super Pro and Pro completed three rounds of competition, while Street was in the lanes for its third round when the accident occurred.

Action continues this Saturday with the holiday May 29 Old School Nostalgia Night, featuring nostalgia Funny Cars and a touring NETO nostalgia series. On Sunday, a full show of Summit 660 Series bracket racing will take place, and the date will also be utilized as a rain date for the Old School Nostalgia race in the event of inclement weather on Saturday.

For more information on this weekend’s racing, contact the track at (607) 687-9392 or check the track’s Web site at www.skyviewdrags.com. Camping is available on the grounds this weekend.

What struck me was the tremendous turnout and support shown by the riders, club leaders, and land owners for their sport. The large ballroom was full for the awards luncheon, where the club honored its groomers, dealer, club and snowmobiler of the year as well. It is the clubs and the individuals who give their time, effort and land to create and maintain the trails that make this sport what it is today—a sport that continues to grow in this recession, even if the snow sometimes will not cooperate.

To help this growth, I’ve sponsored legislation the Senate that Assemblyman Will Barclay is carrying in the Assembly. This legislation would enable certain businesses to sell registrations to out of state residents so that our local clubs can benefit from the distribution of money raised by these registrations for trail maintenance. Of course, that fund must remain in place for just that—snowmobile trails, not a means to balance the budget.

Snowmobiles are an integral part of our upstate economy and way of life. The sport supports and creates jobs, raises revenue and provides many with a fun winter activity. I can remember when I bought my first sled some 40 years ago. There were quite a few members from Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties at the event and Oswego County had a great display showing off the fishing, hunting and riding opportunities in the county. I enjoyed listening to the people I met, sharing stories of our experiences in the sport, and talking about its future.

Part of that future is the work students at Clarkson University completed this year, finishing in third place this year in a competition to create a zero-emissions snowmobile. Their success was a 50 horsepower sled with a range of 20 miles or more, which can be found at the university now, but will make its way to Greenland in May. Three students from the team were on hand to explain their work modifying an existing snowmobile with hundreds of battery cells.

Outdoor recreation is a big part of our lives here in Central and Northern New York. Snowmobile season has passed, but now many of us have switched to fishing, hiking, biking and riding all-terrain vehicles for the spring and summer months. As a sportsman myself, I am committed to protecting our rights and growing our outdoor recreational industries.

A converted electric snowmobile designed by Clarkson University undergraduates is heading to the Greenland Environmental Observatory to help scientists there collect environmental data. The zero-emissions snowmobile took second place at the 2010 Society for Automotive Engineering’s Clean Snowmobile Challenge.

The prize for the top two teams is a two-month trip to Greenland for the snowmobile and 10 days for one of the students on the team. Scott J. Keefe, a senior electrical engineering student, was selected to go to Greenland to show the scientists how to use the Clarkson machine.

“Historically, the first-place team takes its snowmobile to Greenland. I didn’t realize that the first- and second-place teams would be going,” said Robert J. Davis, director of the university’s Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design program. “As the technology improves every year, they’re finding, ‘Hey, this is pretty useful; let’s get more than one up here.’”

Read more..

Police now say 41-year-old Everett Willis, of Brainardsville, fell from the his snowmobile and was struck by another snowmobile driven by 41-year-old Todd Harrigan of Chateaugay. It happened on Upper Chateaugay Lake in Dannemora Friday night.

No charges have been filed as police are waiting for the results of a blood analysis of Harrigan.

Sheriff’s Lt. Richard Cobb said 48-year-old Ross Scribner Jr. was killed between 1 and 4 a.m. Wednesday after the Polaris snowmobile he was riding along Creek Road in the Town of McDonough left the side of the road and went down a steep embankment.

State police said Frank Orobello, 59, Ronkonkoma, was traveling north with Anthony Gallace, 22, East Meadow, when the pair failed to negotiate a curve.

Mr. Gallace suffered a head injury and was flown to St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Utica. Mr. Orobello died at the scene.

It was unclear late Sunday whether either operator was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Rasset died after colliding with a guide wire extending from a power pole along County Road 33.

The crash occurred at about 7 p.m. as Rasset was northbound along the west side of County Road 33 in Hollywood Township. He was snowmobiling with another sledder who called in the accident, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Numerous agencies responded to the accident. Rasset died at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The accident is being investigated  by the Sheriff’s Office with assistance of the Minnesota State Patrol and the Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking that anyone with information about this case to call 952-361-1231.