A rider died after falling from a snowmobile and striking his head on a trailer in west-central Minnesota, authorities said Thursday.
Jerome Kotalik, 40, of Fargo, was killed Christmas Day on property along Hwy. 9 in Pelican Rapids, the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office said. He was not wearing a helmet at the time, the Sheriff's Office added.
Officials suspect Kotalik, who was warming up his sled and driving it a short distance, lost control "possibly due to mechanical failure of the throttle."
PAUL WALSH
