Two injured in weekend snowmobile accidents in Keweenaw County EAGLE RIVER ’Äì Two snowmobile accidents this past weekend in Keweenaw County resulted in serious personal injuries, the County Sheriff’Äôs Department reported. A 61-year-old Brighton, Mich., man is in fair condition at Marquette General Hospital after an accident Saturday afternoon. A 34-year-old Canton, Mich., snowmobiler was flown to Ann Arbor shortly after an accident Sunday afternoon. The accidents occurred on different trails in the Gratiot Lake area. James Storm, 61, of Brighton, was injured in an accident that occurred about 12:10 p.m. Saturday on a power pole line near the Gratiot Lake area, the Sheriff’Äôs Department reported. "He was thrown from his machine and was struck by a machine driven by Gary Anderson, 43, of Houghton," Keweenaw County Sheriff Ron Lahti said. Lahti said Mercy Ambulance transported Storm to Keweenaw Memorial Medical Center and then to Marquette General Hospital. He may have suffered broken ribs and possible lung damage, Lahti reported. Neither alcohol nor speed was a factor. Jerry Primeau, Mercy Ambulance owner, said the whole rescue took about two hours. "We received the call at 12:29 p.m.," Primeau said. "He was about one and a half miles off the road on a snowmobile trail, so we had to go in with our snowmobile and rescue sled ’Ķ It took us 30 minutes to get to the snowmobile trail ’Ķ another 54 minutes to get him off the trail ’Ķ It took (the rescuers) another half hour to get him to the hospital (in Laurium)." Marquette General Hospital Community Relations Department reported him in fair condition as of Monday afternoon, but would not disclose the nature or the extent of injuries. The second accident occurred on Snowmobile Trail No. 3, about three miles north of Gratiot Lake Road between Central and Delaware. Timothy White, 34, of Canton, reportedly sustained injuries to his right wrist and his spine. "He was headed south and failed to negotiate a curve," Lahti said. "He drove into the woods about 170-180 feet off the trail, was thrown from his machine and injured." Lahti said White’Äôs snowmobiler companions apparently transported him out to the road and flagged down a passing car to transport him to Keweenaw Memorial Medical Center in Laurium before notifying the Sheriff’Äôs office. Lahti noted speed was a factor in the accident, but not alcohol. "My advice to anybody," Lahti said, "is when anyone is injured you can make the person as comfortable as possible but don’Äôt move them. Call for help." Mercy Ambulance transported White from Keweenaw Memorial Medical Center to the airport, where he was flown to Ann Arbor. His condition is unknown at this time. According to Primeau, now that Houghton County has its 911 emergency service in operation, a call to 911 from cell phones in Keweenaw County will go to the Negaunee dispatch and then be relayed back to Houghton County 911. Emergency callers from regular phones in Keweenaw County still must dial 337-0911 to reach Mercy Ambulance until the Keweenaw County 911 system is in place. ’Äì Michele Anderson January 29, 2001