By Associated Press - Wednesday, January 4, 2017

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Authorities have determined that the unusual snowmobile wreck in northwest Wyoming that killed a 33-year-old North Dakota man was an accident.

Andrew Grossnickle, of West Fargo, died Dec. 30 after becoming separated from his snow machine. A preliminary autopsy determined that Grossnickle died from blunt force trauma to the left chest.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports (https://bit.ly/2ib2BF4 ) that investigators were perplexed initially because the snowmobile was not damaged.



Typically, fatal snowmobile accidents involve the machine crashing into a tree or rolling over the victim.

But Teton County Sheriff’s Lt. Slade Ross says it appears that Grossnickle fell off the machine or contacted a tree while hanging off the snowmobile.

Grossnickle was among a group of eight friends but no one saw the accident.

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Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, https://www.jhnewsandguide.com

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