Multiple Snowmobile Crashes in Randolph

CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Sgt. Matthew Holmes
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
February 18, 2025

Randolph, NH – On the afternoon of Saturday, February 15, 2025, rescue personnel responded to two separate snowmobile crashes on the same trail in the town of Randolph.

At approximately 12:30 p.m., New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Conservation Officers were made aware of a snowmobile crash on the Corridor 12A snowmobile trail just north of the Lookout Ledge Trail. A Conservation Officer who was out on snowmobile patrol responded to the area and picked up an EMS provider who had staged with other personnel on Durand Road.

The two rode to what they believed was the reported site and located a snowmobile crashed into a tree. No one was with the snowmobile so they then rode to a local warming hut. Here they were flagged down by a group who indicated that the injured party was with them. The injured man, Mario Aispuro, 35, of Revere, Massachusetts, was found to be suffering from an arm injury but was otherwise okay. Aispuro was subsequently transported out of the woods by members of the Gorham Fire Department who had arrived on scene with a tracked rescue vehicle. Once roadside, Aispuro was assisted by members of the Randolph Fire Department and Gorham EMS. He was ultimately transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for further evaluation.

As the rescue team was clearing the scene, Conservation Officers were called again by State Police Dispatch and told that there had been a second crash on the same trail, and that persons on scene, who had been the original callers, were still in need of an EMS response. Rescuers subsequently regrouped and headed back up the Corridor 12A trail.

At approximately 2:30 p.m., rescuers encountered Alexander Wilkins, 24, of Wells, Maine, suffering from a significant lower-leg injury. Wilkins was found barely a quarter of a mile beyond the first crash scene encountered by responders. Authorities quickly learned that Wilkins had accidently hit the throttle of his snowmobile after being jostled by some bumps and ended up missing a corner and hitting an embankment. The crash caused Wilkins to fall off of his machine and into a deep ditch, injuring his leg in the process. Wilkins’s injured leg was stabilized at the scene by Gorham EMS, and he was transported out of the woods in the tracked rescue vehicle and brought down to the staging area set up at Durand Road. Once roadside, Wilkins was transported by Gorham Ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for further evaluation and treatment.

In a strange twist of fate, these crashes occurred on the same trail at almost the same time, involving two completely different groups. The original report actually caused the second crash victim to be found more quickly. Very limited cell phone coverage added to the confusion, but in the end everyone who needed assistance was located and helped. Both groups were very grateful for the efforts of the responders and voiced their appreciation.

In both of these cases, the involved snowmobiles were rentals and their operators had limited snowmobiling experience. These crashes are still under investigation.