12-year-old killed in snowmobile wreck, 3rd fatal crash of the weekend

Deadly weekend on Minnesota snowmobile trails

With a large influx of snow the past few weeks, many Minnesotans are out snowmobiling – leading to several fatal accidents. FOX 9’s Rob Olson has the latest.

(FOX 9) - A 12-year-old boy has died after deputies say his snowmobile struck a tree in southern Minnesota.

Wabasha County deputies were called shortly after 1 p.m. for the crash in Theilman Township, Minnesota, a rural town about 25 miles northeast of Rochester.

Deputies say the boy, identified as Blaze Leland Himle, was using the snowmobile on private property when he struck a tree in a wooded area. Sadly, the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

The death marks the third reported snowmobile death of the weekend and the sixth over just the past two weekends. That's as many snowmobile deaths as Minnesota reported for the entire 2021-22 season.

A GoFundMe was started to help Blaze's family pay for funeral expenses.