According to Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol, on…

According to Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol, on 1/21/2022 at about 2:53 pm, Road Patrol Deputies along with the Recreation Unit, investigated a snowmobile accident on trail C4I/Sullivan Road in the Town of Florence.

Upon arrival, Roy A. Dean, 53, of Niagara Falls, NY, was being treated by Florence Fire Department Rescue along with Camden Ambulance for injuries he sustained during the snowmobile accident. Dean was airlifted by Mercy Flight to Upstate Hospital located in Syracuse, NY, with serious, but not believed to be life threatening injuries.

Investigation concludes that while traveling east on trail C4I, Dean’s snowmobile struck a large rock in the center of the trail, which caused damage to the front left ski, causing the snowmobile to flip end over end, at which time Dean sustained injuries. No tickets were issued, as it’s believed there was no fault of the operator, and Dean’s snowmobile was in compliance. Dean’s snowmobile was removed from the scene by other snowmobilers.

The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the New York State Forest Rangers as this accident did occur in the Swancott Hill State Forest.