Personal Injury Blog

THE FORKS, Maine — West Forks Fire Chief Brian Rowe, 66, was active in his community, a colorful storyteller who could entertain his friends for hours, but above all, he always was willing to respond to someone in need. Rowe was en route to help an injured man who had crashed his snowmobile into a tree on Interconnecting Snowmobile Trail 87 near Moxie Pond when he died Friday evening of what authorities say was a heart attack. That snowmobiler, Jason Dodge, 37, of West Gardiner, who suffered head trauma and internal injuries, was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel from West Forks Fire and Rescue, according to a press release issued by Deborah Turcotte, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokeswoman.

“It was a bad day for The Forks,” Gordon Berry, a local firefighter, said Saturday. Dodge had been the last snowmobiler in a group of five that included his brother. The group was traveling from a family camp in Caratunk when the accident occurred, Turcotte said Saturday. Dodge, who was wearing a helmet, failed to negotiate an icy left-hand turn on his late model Ski Doo 800 Renegade and it hit a 9-inch tree head-on, she said. The incident is under investigation.

Turcotte urged snowmobilers to use caution on the snowmobile trails because of the conditions. There are still good sledding opportunities in northern Maine, but riders should be aware of crusty ice, open water crossings and obstacles such as roots and rocks, she noted. Rowe, who was unaware that Dodge had died, suffered a heart attack and died en route on the rescue call. The West Forks Fire and Rescue emergency medical personnel who had been at the snowmobile accident came to Rowe’s aid and performed lifesaving measures, but those efforts were unsuccessful, according to Turcotte.

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Although this was a single car accident, recovery for the family of the decedent may be possible.  The product liability team at Berman & Simmons has successfully recovered against major auto manufacturers in one-car accidents where a defective or dangerous condition of the car caused or contributed to the accident.  In this case, there may be a question of medical advice or malpractice if the accident was caused by a treatable medical condition or reaction to a prescription medication.  For more information, contact Berman & Simmons at 1-800-244-3576 or read more on our website on our car accident practice page.