NOBLEBORO – A Waldoboro man died during a nighttime snowstorm Thursday when his snowmobile hit a roadside utility pole, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department.

John W. Fowler, 40, of Waldoboro was found by a passing motorist at approximately 7:52 p.m. on the East Pond Road in Nobleboro. He was in the road lying next to his snowmobile.

First responders from the Nobleboro Fire Department and Jefferson Fire and Rescue were summoned to the scene, but they determined that Fowler had already died.

The Maine Warden Service and Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service also assisted at the scene.

An accident reconstruction specialist from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department was called to the scene, and a preliminary investigation determined that Fowler died from massive head trauma when he struck the utility pole while operating the snowmobile southbound on the side of East Pond Road.

An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the accident. The victim’s blood alcohol content will be tested as a standard part of that investigation.

The fatality was the second one reported during the 2004-05 snowmobile season, which runs from November through April in some parts of the state.