Staff Writer
TOWNSHIP 9 RANGE 7 — A Presque Isle man was the latest of nine snowmobile fatalities this season, following an accident late Saturday west of Oxbow.
“Brian James, 22, of Presque Isle, was riding with a friend, Chad Lavway, 22, of Presque Isle, around 11:45 p.m. on the Sugar Birth Ridge Rd, heading south. The men were traveling back to a family camp, about six miles west of Oxbow. The victim was on the lead sled,” said Sgt. Tom Ward, of the Maine Warden Service.
The trail the men were using is actually a logging road, said Ward.
According to Ward, James “failed to negotiate a right corner.”
“Snowbanks in the area were two to three feet high. He got too far to the right, became airborne and struck a large birch tree,” said Ward. “He was going around the corner a bit fast and lost control. Speed appears to be a factor but the accident is still under investigation.”
Ward said Lavway didn’t witness the accident and returned to camp, thinking his friend was already there.
“When Lavway got the camp, James wasn’t there. There were two other men at the camp. All three started looking for him. They found him shortly before midnight April 11,” Ward said.
James was operating a 2001 Arctic Cat ZR600 and was wearing a helmet when the accident occurred.
Emergency personnel were notified of the incident around 12:50 a.m. Sunday, shortly after the group found James.
“The call came in as a snowmobile accident. Ashland Fire and Rescue responded. They gave us a good hand and assisted at the scene. James was transported to The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle and then to Duncan-Graves Funeral Home. Wardens Preston Pomerleau, Charles Brown and Kevin Pelkey assisted with the investigation,” said Ward.
Emergency personnel were able to access the site because the road was covered with hard-packed snow.
Ward said James died at the scene due to injuries sustained in the accident. The sled was destroyed.
The area the men were snowmobiling still has considerable snow, according to Ward, but conditions are quickly deteriorating.
“There are still places in Aroostook County, higher elevations and in the woods, where there’s still snow and people are riding. Folks doing spring riding should use common sense and be alert to ever-changing conditions,” advised Ward.
Water crossings are becoming ever more treacherous as temperatures rise and spring thawing occurs.
“Riding conditions are deteriorating very fast. This made the ninth snowmobile fatality this season and hopefully the last,” said Ward. “We’ve already had one ATV fatality downstate this year.”
James, the son of Jerry and Carol James, of Presque Isle, was a 2005 graduate of Presque Isle High School and was currently attending the University of Maine at Orono, had completed his emergency medical technician training at Eastern Maine Community College and was a member of the Maine Air National Guard, 101st Security Forces. He leaves behind many family members and friends. Calling hours will be 6-8 p.m. April 15 at Duncan-Graves Funeral Home, 30 Church St., Presque Isle. Graveside services with military honors will take place later this spring at Fairmount Cemetery, in Presque Isle. Donations in his memory may be made to either the Central Aroostook Humane Society, 26 Cross St., Presque Isle, ME 04769 or Chief Burlock/Lavway Scholarship Fund, 43 North St., Suite 2, Presque Isle, ME 04769.
