Orneville man dies after snowmobile crash

AUGUSTA – An Orneville man has died of injuries he suffered in a snowmobile accident over the weekend.

Leo Mitsin of Orneville died early Monday of injuries suffered Saturday when he struck a tree while riding a snowmobile near his home.

The Maine Warden Service said Mitsin, 63, was attempting to negotiate a turn, but there was no snow on that part of the route. The snowmobile hit a stump and Mitsin was thrown off, striking his head on a tree, said Warden Sgt. Kevin Adam. He was not wearing a helmet.

Meanwhile, Glen Zona of Worcester, Mass., was listed in critical condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor after a Friday night accident in Dennistown.

Wardens said Zona, 40, lost control of his machine, which flew more than 40 feet in the air, impaling him on a tree root.

The warden service said snowmobilers need to exercise caution as snow disappears and trails become icy.