Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two separate snowmobile crashes Saturday; 1 dead and 2 injured

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says two separate snowmobile crashes left one dead and two injured on Saturday.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies and first responders were called out to a report of a snowmobile crash at 4:55 p.m. Saturday on 72nd Street SW in Byron Township, near Staples.

The sheriff’s office says responders arrived to find bystanders performing CPR on a 65-year-old adult male, who was pronounced dead at the crash scene. Law enforcement noted the male was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

Monday afternoon, authorities identified the victim as Mark Plattner of Staples, Minnesota.

Investigators say the man and his family were returning from a snowmobile trip when his track became dislodged from the snowmobile, causing the crash.

Earlier in the day, the sheriff’s office says law enforcement responded to a report of a snowmobile crash Saturday morning, just before noon, on a snowmobile trail near Home Brook Township, just outside the Nisswa area.

Deputies say they arrived to find a snowmobile had left a curve and hit a tree, causing both the driver and passenger to be ejected from the snowmobile. An adult female, 49-years-old from Coon Rapids, was transported to a hospital in Brainerd. The passenger, a 15-year-old boy from Coon Rapids, was flown via helicopter to a hospital in St. Cloud with serious injuries.

The sheriff’s office notes both were wearing helmets at the time of the crash.