CONTACT: Conservation Officer Levi Frye 603-788-4850 March 15, 2021

Pittsburg, NH – On Saturday, March 13, 2021, at approximately 10:30 a.m., NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers were notified of a single-vehicle snowmobile crash in Pittsburg with injury. Conservation Officers, Pittsburg Police, Pittsburg Fire and Rescue, and the 45th Parallel EMS Ambulance responded to Young’s Store, where the patient had been transported by members of her riding party.

A Pittsburg Police Officer interviewed the patient, identified as Deanna Dotson, 50, of Milford, CT, until Conservation Officers could arrive. It was discovered that Dotson was a passenger on the rental machine that was being operated by her husband, Eric Dotson, 48.

The couple had rented the snowmobile from a local establishment in Pittsburg and were traveling east on the Minnon-Young Trail when the accident occurred. According to Eric, he was traveling downhill while making a left turn when he got too close to the edge of the trail and his right ski went into soft snow causing the snowmobile to go off the trail. He was unable to steer out of the deep snow, narrowly missing a tree and ended up crashing into a stream. Both Eric and Deanna were ejected from the snowmobile.

Members of the Dotson’s riding party rushed to their aid and placed a call to 911. Eric, who was uninjured, stayed at the scene with the snowmobile while Deanna was transported out to Young’s Store parking lot by friends. Deanna was assessed by the 45th Parallel ambulance for her injuries and was ultimately transported to Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital in Colebrook.

A subsequent investigation revealed that this was the first time that Eric Dotson had operated a snowmobile and operator inexperience is considered the primary factor in the crash.

NH Fish and Game would like to remind all snowmobile riders to operate within their limits and be mindful of the end-of-season trail conditions and adjust their speed accordingly.