Multiple Snowmobile Crashes in Coos County on Valentine’s Day

CONTACT:
CO Sgt. Matthew Holmes
603-788-4850
February 14, 2026

Coos County, NH– On Saturday, February 14, 2026, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Conservation Officers responded to multiple snowmobile crashes in southern Coos County.

At approximately 9:30 a.m., authorities were called to a snowmobile accident in Berlin along the Corridor 11 snowmobile trail to assist a rider who had been thrown from her snowmobile after losing control on an ice flowage that crossed the trail. Sara Krzyzaniak-Gates, 45, of Hopkinton, NH, sustained a significant but non-life-threatening injury after her snowmobile went sideways on a sheet of ice and then tipped when she slid into soft snow. Krzyzaniak-Gates was unable to continue riding following the incident, so a call for help was made on her behalf. Personnel from the Berlin Fire Department, Berlin EMS, and Conservation Officers all began responding to the scene upon receiving the call. Krzyzaniak-Gates was ultimately extracted from the scene by a UTV provided by Berlin Fire Department and then taken by ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for further evaluation and treatment of her injuries. Berlin Police Department also assisted and helped with the logistics of getting the snowmobile off the trail and out to a nearby road.

Krzyzaniak-Gates was found to be a very experienced snowmobiler who was wearing all of the proper safety equipment. She said she observed the ice flow, slowed appropriately while on it, but still ended up in an unfortunate situation. This incident serves as a reminder that accidents can happen no matter how much experience and preparation is involved.

Just as Conservation Officers were wrapping up the investigation into the first incident, they were called to another one in Crawford’s Purchase on the Corridor 12 snowmobile trail near the base of Mt. Washington. In this case, Melissa Corcoran, 41, of Warwick, RI, was participating in a guided tour when she inadvertently went off of the trail and fell off of her rented snowmobile. As a result of the low-speed crash, Corcoran sustained a significant but non-life-threatening injury. She was extracted from the scene by her tour guide and immediately taken by snowmobile to a plowed road. Once roadside and in cell coverage, a call for help was placed on her behalf.

Personnel from Twin Mountain Police, Twin Mountain Ambulance, and Conservation Officers all responded upon receiving word of the incident. Corcoran was quickly located and transported by ambulance to Littleton Regional Hospital for further evaluation and treatment. As a result of the investigation into this incident, Conservation Officers learned that this had been Corcoran’s very first time operating a snowmobile. Inexperience is considered to be the primary contributing factor in this crash.