DALLAS PLANTATION – A 61-year-old man died in a snowmobile accident Saturday evening, the third snowmobiler death in Maine over the weekend.

Odias Bachelder of Lang Township was killed about 5:20 p.m. on Interconnecting Trail System 89 when his snowmobile went off the trail and he was ejected, Sgt. Scott Thrasher of the Maine Warden Service said Sunday.

Although he was wearing a helmet, Bachelder suffered fatal, blunt force trauma injuries when he landed in a ditch.

Bachelder was heading toward Rangeley for the Snodeo snowmobile parade, Thrasher said, and was discovered by two snowmobiling companions who were following him.

It appears that Bachelder was traveling too fast for the conditions, Thrasher said.

“We believe he was thrown from the snowmobile, and then the snowmobile hit a small embankment causing it to continue down the trail,” he said. The machine sustained serious damage.

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There were extra rescue personnel in the area because of the snowmobile event. Nine members of the warden service responded, along with Rangeley fire and rescue personnel. The crash scene was about a mile from Route 16.

The state Medical Examiner’s Office will determine an official cause of death.

“Until we get more snow, many snowmobile trails are rough in places, and riders need to keep their speed down and always stay in control,” Thrasher said.

Bachelder was one of three people killed Saturday in snowmobiling accidents in Maine, and the warden service is stressing the need for people to travel safely. There were also four reports of men being injured in snowmobiling accidents over the weekend.

“As always, never drive beyond the capabilities of you or your machine, and never drink and drive. Always tell someone where you plan to ride and when you will return. Ice conditions across Maine remain inconsistent and dangerous, and the lack of snow has made for poor trail conditions for the majority of the State,” warden service Maj. Greg Sanborn said Sunday.

The other two fatal weekend crashes were in Hancock and Penobscot counties.

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The body of Matthew Divello, 49, of Mariaville was recovered from Graham Lake in Mariaville on Saturday afternoon after he failed to return home from snowmobiling, according to warden service Cpl. John MacDonald.

After pilot Charlie Later and Warden Dave Simmons spotted a snowmobile helmet in the ice near Eagle Island, the warden dive team was called out. They found Divello’s body around 1:45 p.m., within minutes of entering the icy water.

Also on Saturday, Mark Roux, 56, of Lee, was killed while operating his snowmobile on Bill Green Pond in Lee around 11:45 p.m. He crashed into a heavily wooded section of the shoreline and was pronounced dead while en route to Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln.

Roux was wearing a helmet and had been riding with his son, Paul Roux, of Auburn, according to MacDonald.

There were also four snowmobile crashes resulting in injuries. They happened in T4 R8 and Medway, both in Penobscot County; Monson, in Piscataquis County; and Shapleigh, in York County.

Morning Sentinel Staff Writer Erin Rhoda can be contacted at 612-2368 or at:

erhoda@centralmaine.com

 


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