Man dies after snowmobile accident near Cottonwood Pass

CHAFEE COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office identified the man who died after a snowmobile accident near Cottonwood Pass.

Tuesday, the sheriff's office received a distress signal from a backcountry traveler at 11:09 a.m. reporting an unconscious man after a snowmobile accident.

Chaffee County Search and Rescue and Chaffee EMS responded to the scene, near the summit of Cottonwood Pass. At the scene, first responders spoke with several people who were snowmobiling in the area.

According to the sheriff's office, an unconscious man had been pinned underneath his snowmobile. While several people tried CPR after the accident happened, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Following an investigation, the sheriff's office released the identity of the victim, 68-year-old Robert E. Weiland of Jefferson.

The CCSO says Weiland was riding his snowmobile with a group of people when he went out of sight from the group. When someone went back to see where he was, they found his machine overturned on top of him. That's when the other rider pulled the snowmobile off of Weiland and performed CPR until EMS arrived.