CONTACT: Sergeant Kevin Bronson 603-271-3361 February 2, 2021

Webster, NH – On February 1, 2021, at approximately 8:00 p.m., New Hampshire Fish and Game was notified of snowmobile accident on Lake Winnepocket. The victim, 30-year-old Ethan O’Neil of Boscawen, New Hampshire, had been involved in a single-person snowmobile crash.

Webster Police, Webster Fire and Rescue, and Salisbury Fire and Rescue utilized Salisbury Rescue crews’ UTV to access the crash scene and extricate O’Neil. The crash scene was far from any road, and transportation to the awaiting Hopkinton Ambulance crew would not have been possible without off-highway vehicles. Conservation Officers from the NH Fish and Game Department responded to investigate the accident with the aid of the Webster Police Department.

From the initial investigation, it appears that O’Neil was traveling across the lake when he was not able to identify the shore line as he approached. O’Neil then crashed into the shore, where his machine suffered catastrophic damage. At this time, it is believed that speed that was too high for the existing conditions is the primary contributing factor of the crash. O’Neil is recovering from serious injuries.