Bethel snowmachine accident leaves 1 man dead, another injured

A snowmachine crashed into a truck on Standard Oil Road in Bethel near the river on Feb. 12, 2021. (courtesy Bethel Search and Rescue)

A snowmachine accident in Bethel on Feb. 12 left one man dead. A second man was medevaced to Anchorage.

Bethel police said that around 5:30 p.m., an hour before the start of the 2021 K300 Sled Dog race, a snowmachine carrying two men in their 50s was traveling up Standard Oil Road, moving away from the river.

Bethel police lieutenant Jesse Poole said the snowmachine was traveling at high speed around a corner at the same time that a truck, moving slowly, came from the other side. Poole said that the driver of the snowmachine saw the truck and tried to swerve, but clipped the front passenger side of the vehicle.

Both occupants of the snowmachine were ejected. One man died at the Bethel hospital, and the other was medevaced to Anchorage.

There were two occupants in the truck, neither of whom were injured. Poole declined to provide the names of the people involved in the crash, citing an ongoing police investigation.

KYUK - Bethel

KYUK is our partner station in Bethel. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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