68-year-old man found dead after getting pinned under snowmobile, Colorado cops say

A snowmobiler was found dead after going out of sight of his group, Colorado police said.

Robert Welland, a 68-year-old from Jefferson, was found pinned under his snowmobile on Tuesday, Feb. 8, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said.

“(Welland) was riding his snowmobile with a group of people and went out of sight from the group,” deputies said in a news release. “When a group member went back to find Welland he found his machine overturned resting on top of the victim.”

The rider pulled the snowmobile off of Welland and started to give him CPR.

A backcountry traveler alerted authorities that help was needed in the area. They found Welland unconscious, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The group had been snowmobiling near Cottonwood Pass, a 12,126-foot summit that shows both sides of the Continental Divide.

“(Chaffee County Search and Rescue North) sends our condolences to all affected by this accident,” rescuers said. “Be careful out there, friends.”

This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 7:01 AM with the headline "68-year-old man found dead after getting pinned under snowmobile, Colorado cops say."