Early Saturday morning, a snowmobile hit two teams racing in Alaska’s famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, killing one dog and injuring several others. The snowmobile driver has been arrested and charged in connection with the crashes. There’s speculation about whether they were intentional or not.
According to the BBC, during the race, a snowmobile hit Aliy Zirkle’s sled. It later hit Jeff King’s sled, killing one of his dogs. 26 year old Arnold Demoski was charged with assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and criminal mischief for the crashes.
The Alaska Dispatch News has more details, including about the dogs who were affected:
Two Rivers musher Aliy Zirkle and Denali Park’s Jeff King reported a snowmachiner repeatedly tried to hit their dog teams as they traveled to the Yukon River checkpoint of Nulato early Saturday morning. The snowmachine hit King’s team, according to a press release from the Iditarod Trail Committee, resulting in the death of 3-year-old Nash and non-life-threatening injuries to two others: 2-year-old Banjo and 3-year-old Crosby. A dog in Zirkle’s team also received a non-life-threatening injury.
Demoski said that he accidentally struck the teams after blacking out from drinking. “I think I turned around to check on them,” he said. “They say I continuously attacked them but I turned around because I was concerned.”
The Alaska Dispatch News also has an interview with Jeff King about what happened, embedded below. He said that he thinks the crashes were intentional, because he doesn’t know how Demoski didn’t see him–given how well lit the sled was–and because he heard that the driver tried to hit Aliy Zirkle several times. The snowmobile apparently came within inches of King’s own body.
King said Demoski “clipped several dogs.” He recalled, while holding back tears. “One died almost instantly–broken leg–another–impact injuries to another. I did the first aid I could, and loaded them up in my trailer.” King said he sought treatment for four of his dogs at the Nulato checkpoint.
People are offering condolences under the #Iditarod hashtag.
(via BBC and Alaska Dispatch News)