Picture Courtesy of NH State Police

On February 8, 2021 at approximately 7:56 am, New Hampshire State Police received reports of a motor vehicle crash located on the southbound side of the Franconia Notch Parkway in Lincoln, just south of the Basin. 

Police arrived on scene and began working to clear the roadway.  Within minutes of the crash investigation, 2 State Police cruisers and 1 Liquor Commission, Division of Enforcement cruiser, were struck while parked at the scene.  One Trooper was seated in one of the patrol cars and suffered minor injuries as a result of being struck. 

In total, 21 vehicles were involved in several separate crashes in that area, 3 of which were police vehicles. 

The roadway, at the time of the crashes, had been covered with a light coating of ice and snow, making for very slippery, yet manageable, driving conditions that required drivers to operate at a reduced speed to account for any actual or potential hazards. 

The New Hampshire State Police would like to remind motorists to consider the time and distance necessary to stop on slippery roadways and to reduce your speed commensurate with such conditions.

The southbound lane of the Franconia Notch Parkway was shut down for two hours while the NH State Police, NH Department of Transportation, Lincoln Police, Franconia Police, Lincoln Fire Department, Franconia Fire Department and Linwood Ambulance Service worked to clear the scene.

Sargent’s Purchase – Members of NH Fish & Game’s Advanced Search & Rescue Team along with US Forest Service personnel and volunteers from Mountain Rescue Services (MRS) located the body of a missing backcountry skier in Ammonoosuc Ravine at approximately 6:00 p.m. Wednesday night.  The rescue crew had been searching for the skier since early afternoon.

The skier, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was reported missing by his friends Tuesday night after failing to return home or answer repeated calls.  Initial reports indicated that the skier had planned to ski either Ammonoosuc Ravine drainage or Monroe Brook drainage on Monday. 

After the missing person’s report was initiated, a search of multiple trailhead parking lots Tuesday night was conducted in an attempt to locate the skier’s vehicle to confirm he was still in the backcountry. The search that night failed to locate his vehicle. His vehicle was ultimately discovered Wednesday morning in the snow filled Ammonoosuc Ravine parking lot.

When his vehicle was located a search effort was initiated and rescue personnel hiked up into both the Ammonoosuc Ravine drainage and the Monroe Brook drainage despite potential avalanche danger in an effort to locate the skier.  The  searchers spent several hours scouring both drainages, until an avalanche beacon signal was detected at approximately 4:30 p.m.  The crew had to dig down approximately 13 feet of packed snow and debris before ultimately discovering the body of the missing skier.  Several more hours ensued extracting the body.  The search party made it down to the Base Station parking lot at approximately 9:00 p.m.

Backcountry skiing is a risky venture that should only be attempted by the most prepared and experienced skiers.  This skier did have years of experience and was prepared, which was evident by his use of an avalanche transceiver, but skiing in avalanche conditions is never recommended and can be extremely dangerous.  Without the transceiver, it is possible the skier’s body most likely would not have been located until the snow completely melted in the spring.

Snowmobile Crash with Injury in Gorham

Gorham: On the late morning of Friday, January 29, 2021, a Massachusetts man sustained significant injuries after crashing his rented snowmobile on the Town Access Trail a short distance from Main Street in Gorham.

It was determined that Konstantin Ioannidis, 30, of Watertown, MA had been operating a snowmobile as part of a guided tour group.  At approximately 11:54 AM, Ioannidis lost control of his machine and subsequently went off of the trail and stuck a tree.  Ioannidis was thrown from the machine upon impact and sustained serious injuries a result of the crash.  Immediately following the crash, a 911 call was placed from the scene to request medical assistance.

A response from Gorham Fire and EMS, Gorham Police Department and Conservation Officers began.  The crash scene was located in very close proximity to Bellevue Place, which provided easy access for responding rescue personnel.  Ioannidis was subsequently taken from the scene by Gorham Ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for further evaluation and treatment of injuries.

Conservation Officers believe inexperience to be the primary factor in this crash.  It was determined that this had been the first time Ioannidis had ever been snowmobiling and that the crash occurred minutes into his ride.

Woman Sustains Serious Injuries in Rental Snowmobile Collision

Randolph: At approximately 10:00 AM on Saturday, January 30th, 2021, a woman sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries when she lost control of the rental snowmobile she had been operating and collided with a tree. The incident occurred on Trail 12a in the area of the Warming Hut in the Town of Randolph. The operator of the snowmobile was identified as Colleen M. Legros, age 43, of North Andover, Massachusetts.

After the collision 911 was contacted and notifications were made to emergency personnel about the incident.  First responders from the Randolph Fire Department, Gorham Fire Department and Gorham Ambulance responded to the scene.  A Conservation Officer with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department also responded to both the scene and hospital to assist with the rescue and investigation.  Due to the nature of the injuries to the operator and the distance from any maintained road, the operator was transported from the scene of the collision to an awaiting ambulance on a tracked utility terrain vehicle (UTV). Ultimately, the operator was transported by Gorham Ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for further evaluation and treatment.

 According to the operator, she had started her ride approximately an hour before the incident occurred and had very little experience operating a snowmobile. Based on information provided by the operator and a witness, the snow machine was making a turn in the area of the Warming Hut when she suddenly mistook the throttle for the brake and accelerated abruptly over a snow bank, through the air and into a tree. The operator was wearing a helmet and had appropriate gear for the conditions. Operator inexperience is considered the primary contributing factor in the collision. Alcohol or drugs were not a factor in the collision.

Picture Courtesy of NH Fish and Game

Snowmobilers Injured

BARTLETT: Over the weekend Conservation Officers responded to two separate snow mobile crashes in Bartlett.  On Saturday, January 30th shortly after 1:00 PM New Hampshire Fish and Game was notified that a snowmobile had crashed on the Stanley Brook Trail in Bartlett. The operator was Joseph Cochran, 57 of Chelsea, MA.  He was operating a borrowed snow machine.  He made a hard turn and was thrown from the machine.  Members of his party were able to transport him by snow machine back to town and he was treated by members of the Bartlett / Jackson Ambulance service for serious but non-life threatening injuries.  He was then relayed by ambulance to the Memorial Hospital in North Conway for additional care. 

A second snow machine accident occurred shortly after 11:00 AM in the same area on Sunday, January 31^st Conservation Officers were notified of a snow machine accident on the Lower Haystack Trail in Bartlett.  Dorothy Seitz, 60 of Colchester, CT was operating a rented snow machine when she accelerated rapidly while negotiating a left hand turn.  Her machine left the trail and impacted a tree.  She suffered injuries to her head and both wrists. Personnel from Bartlett / Jackson Ambulance and the Bartlett Police Department responded to the scene. She was placed in a rescue sled and transported out to a waiting ambulance that took her to the Memorial Hospital in North Conway for additional care.  No further details on either accident are available at this time.

Hiker Off Trail

CHATHAM:  On Sunday, January 31^st shortly before 3:00 PM David Wagner, 62 of Gorham, ME phoned 911 after losing the Baldface Circle Trail in the area of North Baldface Mountain. Coordinates from the call placed him nearly 1,000 feet of trail and 300 feet below it in elevation. David was able to regain the trail at the summit of North Baldface and planned to retrace his route back to the trailhead a distance of 5.0 miles. Cell phone service is poor in the area.  Shorly after 5:00 PM David was able to call in and relay his location before the call dropped.  He was nearly 4.0 miles from the trailhead at that time.  Ultimately, he was well equipped and was able to continue out on his own power. He arrived at the trailhead shortly before 7:30 PM.