ND Man Dies After Falling off Snowmobile in Minn.

Posted at: 12/26/2012 10:40 PM

PELICAN RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) - A North Dakota man has died in a snowmobile accident near Pelican Rapids.

Forty-year-old Jerome Kotalik of Fargo, N.D., was driving a snowmobile Tuesday afternoon when he lost control and fell off, striking his head on a parked snowmobile trailer.

The Daily Journal of Fergus Falls reports Kotalik was not wearing a helmet.

The Otter Tail County sheriff's office says the man was taking the snowmobile out for a short warm-up and likely intended to put on a helmet before going out for a longer ride with others. Helmets were sitting out at the scene.

Authorities say the snowmobile may have unexpectedly accelerated because of a mechanical failure of the throttle.

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