Man Injured in Snowmobile Accident

A man was injured in a snowmobile accident when he fell several hundred feet off a cliff near Bearpaw Mountain east of Glacier, Washington on Sunday.

Jon Greenhalgh, 37, of Lynden, was taken by helicopter to St. Joseph Hospital where he was treated and released after suffering from hypothermia, a dislocated shoulder and broken tailbone.

The accident occurred around 2 p.m. when Greenhalgh was riding up a drainage to the top, not realizing that it was a cliff and could not avoid falling off, stated George Ratayczak, Whatcom County sheriff’s deputy and search and rescue coordinator.

Greenhalgh had been snowmobiling with two friends who were able to locate him from the top of the cliff and could tell that he was injured, Ratayczak said. One friend stayed on the cliff while another set out to find help.

Search and rescue groups responded to the scene, and at about 5:15 p.m. a U.S. Navy helicopter was finally able to locate Greenhalgh and transport him to safety, Ratayczak said.

Greenhalgh is an experienced snowmobiler and never had an accident prior but he was unfamiliar with the area and was unaware of the cliff.