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A Millinocket man died Tuesday when he his snowmobile crashed into a logging truck in northern Penobscot County.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said the crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. on the Grand Lake Road, about 6 miles west of Route 11 in northern Penobscot County. John Michaud, 60, was driving his 2018 Ski Doo Enduro 900 Turbo north on Interconnected Trail System 85 when he failed to stop where the snowmobile trail crossed the road.

A department spokesman said truck driver Ronald Campbell of Patten attempted to stop on the icy road but struck Michaud as the snowmobile entered the road. Campbell, 51, was driving a 2001 Kenworth with an empty log trailer.

A friend of Michaud was driving in another snowmobile behind him and witnessed the crash.

Game wardens and the Patten Ambulance Service responded to the crash. Michaud, who was wearing a helmet, died at the scene and was transported to the Bowers Funeral Home in Island Falls.

The crash remains under investigation.

“Riders should always come to a complete stop before entering any roadway, and always look for oncoming vehicles,” Game Warden Lt. Tom Ward said in a statement. “High snowbanks and trees can often obscure an operator’s vision, so it’s important to look and be certain before crossing any roadway.”

Megan Gray is an arts and culture reporter at the Portland Press Herald. A Midwest native, she moved to Maine in 2016. She has written about presidential politics and local government, jury trials and...

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