At least five people were injured in multiple snowmobile crashes around the state last weekend.
The Maine Warden Service on Monday released a list of reported incidents from over the weekend on Feb. 16 and 17.
The first accident happened around 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Caribou on ITS 90. Wardens said Ben Colomb, 55, of Waterboro was traveling eastbound when a female in his snowmobiling group, Cindy McGriff, 53, of North Waterboro ran her snowmobile into the back of his while crossing a bridge.
The crash caused minor damages to McGriff's snowmobile. She was treated and released from Cary Medical Center, and Colomb was not injured.
Later on Saturday at about 6:30 p.m., wardens said Jennifer McPherson from the Sebago Lake area was traveling east on ITS 90 in the town of Portage Lake when she went off the trail and hit a tree. Family brought McPherson to Dean's Restaurant, about a mile from the scene of the crash, and McPherson was taken from there to the hospital in Presque Isle by Ashland Ambulance.
McPherson's injuries were not considered to be life-threatening, according to the Maine Warden Service.
The next reported crash happened Sunday morning on Highland Lake in Falmouth. Wardens said Colin Joyce, 22, of Westbrook struck a pressure ridge with his snowmobile as he was heading down the lake. Joyce and the snowmobile were launched almost 140 feet into the air before crashing down onto the ice and snow.
Speed played a factor in this crash, according to the Maine Warden Service. Joyce was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland with non-life threatening injuries.
A crash around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday in Hebron seriously injured two females.
Sarah Proulx, 35, of Hebron and Natalie Brooks, 34, of Mechanic Falls were riding on the same snowmobile together on ITS 89. Wardens said Proulx was driving the snowmobile for the first time with Brooks as her passenger when they left a field area along the trail and started hitting some ruts in the path. Proulx began to lose control of the snowmobile, and they hit two maple trees, stopping them instantly.
Both females were wearing helmets at the time of the crash, but they both have significant leg injuries. Speed, trail condition, and inexperience were three factors that contributed to the crash, according to the Maine Warden Service. PACE ambulance and Life Flight brought the two victims to the CMMC.
After the many snowmobile crashes reported this weekend, game wardens are asking snowmobilers to drive at a reasonable and cautious speed, obey all of Maine's snowmobiling laws, and be mindful of others while on trails.