Merrifield man injured in snowmobile crash

Crow Wing County Sheriff

Contributed

By Dispatch staff report

January 24, 2023 11:12 AM

IRONTON — A 62-year-old Merrifield man was injured after he crashed his snowmobile on County Road 128 in Crow Wing County.

The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash, reported at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in Irondale Township, west of Ironton. According to the report, the man was snowmobiling with a group when he lost control and hit a tree.

The man became separated from his group after the crash and called 911 to report a possible broken leg.

The driver of the snowmobile, Michael Henry Rader, suffered a fractured leg and was transported to the hospital.

Deerwood Fire Chief Mike Bodle said they used the What3Words app to locate Rader and a tracked utility vehicle with a rescue sled to get to him, as he was about a mile down a groomed snowmobile trail.

Bodle said the snowmobile party drove past the man twice before finding him in the woods and recommended anyone participating in outdoor activities to download the What3Words app to assist with a rescue.

Assisting at the scene were the Deerwood Fire Department, the Deerwood Police Department, Cuyuna Regional Medical Center Ambulance and Zone 4 First Responders.

Related Topics: CRASHES ACCIDENTS

By Dispatch staff report

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "staff." Often, the "staff" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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