PALISADE — An East Bethel man was seriously injured Saturday afternoon, Feb. 6, the snowmobile he was driving hit a mailbox and post.
The Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office reported a group of friends was snowmobiling together in Workman Township, near Palisade and north of McGregor. Members of the group allegedly had been drinking and some were notably impaired, according to witnesses.
While on Grouse Street, a member of the group, Kevin Mullins, lost control of his snowmobile on an ice-packed roadway and crashed into a mailbox post. Mullins was wearing a helmet and the helmet sustained severe damage. McGregor Ambulance personnel tended to Mullins, who was eventually airlifted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth with life-threatening injuries.
An Oak Grove man, who was a member of the group, stayed to provide aid to his friend. This man was later arrested for driving while intoxicated. Other members of the group were tested for impairment, cleared and allowed to leave on their snowmobiles.
“Aitkin County is well known for its outdoor activities — snowmobiling among them,” the sheriff’s office reported in a news release. “But all activities can become dangerous when alcohol and/or drugs are involved. A fun afternoon snowmobiling became tragic because alcohol was involved.”
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The Minnesota State Patrol assisted the sheriff’s office with the call.
