One dead, one injured in tandem snowmobile crash at Togwotee Pass

TETON COUNTY, Wyo. (KIFI) — A tandem snowmobile accident on Monday afternoon left one man dead and a woman seriously injured, marking the fourth backcountry fatality in Teton County this winter.

On January 26, just after 1 PM, Teton County Search and Rescue volunteers rushed to the "L" trail of the Togwotee after the pair, who were riding as part of a small guided group, collided with a tree.

The rescue operation involved a multi-agency effort. Teton County Sheriff deputies reached the site via snowmobile from Togwotee Mountain Lodge by 2:00 p.m., finding the female passenger unresponsive but breathing. While the man was initially responsive, volunteers say he later went into cardiac arrest at the scene and succumbed to his injuries.

Due to the rugged terrain and the severity of the injuries, TCSAR deployed both ground teams and a helicopter to the scene, while a sheriff's deputy established a landing zone on a nearby highway pullout for aerial support.

Rescuers airlifted the woman from the crash site to the highway landing zone, where she was transferred to an Air Idaho and transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls for treatment.

In a statement released via Facebook, TCSAR expressed deep sympathies to the families involved and noted a sobering trend for the season, as this incident represents the second fatality in just three days.

"All of us at TCSAR offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends affected by this tragedy," the volunteer rescue group wrote on Facebook. "We know that accidents happen and that we all make mistakes. This message is not intended to shame or judge anyone. Just please remember that when you take on a backcountry objective—no matter how big or small—the most important thing is to make sure you come home at the end of the day. Be safe out there, everyone."

Authorities have not released the identities of the victims at this time.