UPDATE: Name of man who died after Chippewa County snowmobile accident released

UPDATE — Friday, January 19th at 3:45 p.m.

DNR Conservation Officers have released the name of the 51 year-old Saginaw man who was killed Tuesday in a snowmobile accident in Chippewa County.

Douglas Charles Hawes was riding his snowmobile along Trail #8, between M-123 and the Curley Lewis Highway, when he missed a curve and struck a tree. Emergency responders conducted resuscitation efforts at the scene. He was taken to Helen Newberry Joy Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The crash scene was located south of Paradise and Whitefish Point and west of Sault Ste. Marie in Whitefish Township. Snowmobile Trail #8 is the main east-west trail in the Upper Peninsula.

CHIPPEWA COUNTY — A fatal snowmobile accident in Chippewa County claimed the life of a Saginaw man Tuesday afternoon.

At about 12:30 p.m., Whitefish Township EMS, Whitefish Township Fire and Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers responded to reports of a snowmobile accident with serious injuries on Snowmobile Trail #8, between M-123 and the Curley Lewis Highway. The trail is the main east-west trail in the Upper Peninsula,

Investigators  from the Michigan DNR Law Enforcement Division and the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office determined that the 51 year-old was riding a snowmobile that missed a curve and struck a tree.  He was taken to Helen Newberry Joy Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The name of the man is being withheld pending completion of the county medical examiner’s report.

In the wake of several fatal crashes in Michigan this winter, DNR conservation officers are reminding snowmobilers to ride safely.

“We are advising snowmobile operators to watch their speed and drive cautiously, especially in areas they are unfamiliar with,” said Lt. Skip Hagy, DNR District 2 law supervisor, in a statement. “A large percentage of snowmobile accidents occur when drivers come into a corner too fast and go off the trail.”

For more information on snowmobiling in Michigan, including current laws and regulations, visit the DNR’s website at www.michigan.gov/snowmobiling.