CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Austin Valladares
Region One Office, Lancaster, NH
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
February 5, 2023

Columbia, NH – On Sunday, February 5, 2023, rescue personnel, along with a New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Conservation Officer, responded to the area of Washburn Road for a report of a male who had driven his snowmobile into a group of trees.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., NH State Police Troop F Dispatch received a 911 call for a 62-year-old male who was injured in a snowmobile-related crash. Colebrook Dispatch notified members of the 45th Parallel EMS, Colebrook Fire, and North Stratford Fire. In initial report of the crash revealed the accelerator on the snowmobile may have gotten stuck, which resulted in the male driving the snowmobile into a group of trees.

The male operator involved was identified as Paul Ricardo of Nottingham, New Hampshire. On-scene investigation showed Ricardo’s snowmobile abruptly accelerated at a high rate of speed in a driveway located on Washburn Road. Ricardo and his snowmobile launched off a snow bank located in the driveway causing Ricardo to be ejected from his machine. Ricardo was evaluated at the scene and placed into the 45th Parallel Ambulance. Ricardo was transported to Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.