EDINBURG – The Edinburg Volunteer Fire Department responded around midnight on Saturday night to help in the rescue of three snowmobile riders who had broken through the ice near the Saratoga County shore of the Great Sacandaga Lake.
Edinburg Fire Chief Wayne Seelow said three machines broke through the ice, and by the time his crew arrived the riders were able to make their way to safety on the shore.
He said the riders were cold, but no one was injured from the accident.
“They were put in the ambulance because they were pretty cold, but they weren’t treated for hypothermia or anything. They were just getting them warmed up,” Seelow said.
Seelow said the riders most likely stopped their machines to look for the trail head that comes off Turner Road in the town. When the machines stopped, their weight broke through the ice.
Seelow said his department gets called to that spot a couple times per year because the creek flowing into the lake decreases the amount of ice that develops in that area.
He said people were trying to get the machines Sunday, but he was unaware if they have been recovered.
Seelow said people should use caution in that area of the lake, but he believes overall the lake is still suitable to ride in most areas.
Fulton County Undersheriff Kevin Lenahan said because his department has not had the snowmobile patrols out this year and no major issues have been reported, he couldn’t say whether the lakes are safe for travel at this time.
Other snowmobile accidents:
- State police have released details about a head-on snowmobile crash that killed two men in the Adirondacks over the weekend.
Troopers say 59-year-old Thomas Dykstra of Suffern was on a 2009 Arctic Cat heading north on Indian Lake when he rode into the path of 51-year-old Paul Prill IV, who was riding south on a 2002 Polaris at about 7 p.m. Saturday.
Both men were thrown from their sleds and they were declared dead at a hospital. The cause of the accident is under investigation Monday, but troopers say they suspect drinking alcohol contributed to the wreck.
The accident was one of two fatal crashes involving snowmobiles in the Adirondacks on Saturday.
- State police say a 47-year-old Herkimer County man was killed after his snowmobile went off a trail on a curve and crashed in the town of Ohio, about 60 miles northeast of Syracuse.
Scott Streeter of Frankfort was operating a 2001 Artic Cat snowmobile southbound when he failed to negotiate a curve and went off the trail. He was thrown from the sled and hit a tree. Streeter was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
