Minnesota teen dies in crash first time driving snowmobile

STAPLES, Minn. (FOX 9) - An 18-year-old man died in a snowmobile crash Saturday in northern Minnesota in what officials said was his first time riding a snowmobile.

According to the Wadena County Sheriff's Office, at about 1:24 p.m. Saturday, officials responded to a snowmobile crash on the river near the Wahoo Valley Bar & Grill in Staples, Minnesota. The caller said CPR was in progress.

Authorities arrived on scene and learned that the young snowmobile driver, Paul Weston Peterson of Motley, Minnesota, had been at the restaurant with his family, and they were leaving the establishment to continue riding snowmobiles. Peterson reportedly left before the rest of the riders, and his father found him after he crashed about a minute later.

According to a release, it appeared that Peterson "snagged a tree with the snowmobile ski and was ejected from the machine." The tree was partially frozen in the river.

Despite life-saving efforts, the teen was pronounced dead at the scene. He was wearing a helmet, and alcohol was not a factor in the crash.