GALLATIN COUNTY, Mont. – A North Carolina man sustained major injuries Saturday morning after his snowmobile crashed into a tree on a trail near West Yellowstone.
The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office reports that around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, West Yellowstone Police Department Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a snowmobile crash on the Two Top Trail, approximately 8 miles west of West Yellowstone.
The 26-year-old man seriously injured his head and face when his snowmobile left the trail and crashed.
Personnel from the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue in West Yellowstone and Hebgen Basin Rural Fire Department responded.
Rescuers met the man at the scene of the crash approximately 45 minutes after the initial call for help. The injured man was conscious but not alert and unable to verbally respond to rescuers.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the man had major facial contusions and a significant head injury. Due to heavy snow and wind, rescue personnel were unable to launch a rescue helicopter.
The man was treated on scene by paramedics, placed in a specialized rescue sled, and transported to a nearby location to meet an ambulance crew. The ambulance then transported the man to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
