Staples man killed, 2 from Twin Cities injured in separate snowmobile crashes in Cass County

The man who died was on a ride with family, the Sheriff's Office said.

February 6, 2023 at 1:25PM

A snowmobiler crashed and died while on a late-afternoon ride in central Minnesota with his family, officials said.

The wreck occurred shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday about 15 miles north of Staples on SW. 72nd Street, the Cass County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies and emergency responders arrived to see family members and others performing CPR on the man, the Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies and medical personnel took over the lifesaving efforts before the 65-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man, who was from Staples, and his family were returning home from a ride together when the track on his snowmobile "became dislodged … causing the machine to crash and eject the operator," a statement from the Sheriff's Office read. The man was wearing a helmet.

Another snowmobile crash in the same county earlier Saturday left two people from the Twin Cities hospitalized with injuries, the Sheriff's Office said.

Shortly after 11:30 a.m., a 911 caller reported a crash on a trail near Nisswa, according to the Sheriff's Office.

A 49-year-old woman from Coon Rapids was operating a rental snowmobile with a 15-year-old boy, also from Coon Rapids, as a passenger behind her. The machine left the trail on a curve and hit a tree, the Sheriff's Office said.

Emergency personnel took the seriously injured teen to a St. Cloud hospital, while the woman was taken to a hospital in Brainerd, the Sheriff's Office said. Both had helmets on at the time of the crash.

about the writer

about the writer

Paul Walsh

Reporter

Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

See Moreicon

More from No Section

See More

Peek inside homes for sale in the Twin Cities area.

card image