Man Injured in Snowmobile Accident in Ellington Identified

State officials have identified the man injured in a snowmobile accident in the Shenipsit State Forest as Ellington resident Eric Bahler.

Bahler, 19, was flown via LifeStar to Hartford Hospital following the incident Wednesday evening, said Dwayne Gardner, spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Crystal Lake Fire Department Chief Chuck Pippin said responders arrived at 7:55 p.m. for a report of a snowmobile versus a tree in a wooded area off of Webster Road.

There was so much snow on the ground that responding firefighters had to use a special all-terrain vehicle to reach Bahler's location, Pippin said. The chief said Bahler had hit a metal gateway before colliding with the tree.

Bahler had been out there for about 45 minutes in the cold before officials could reach him. Because of that, and the mechanism of his injuries, the paramedics called for transport via LifeStar, Pippin said.

Pippin said Bahler had a cell phone with him and he contacted his sister, who then went on to contact police. When police arrived on the scene, she was at the gated area leading into the woods but was unable to get in due to the snow, the chief said.

Bahler sustained a broken femur in the incident, Gardner said. The case remains under investigation.