Houghton man charged in snowmobile death
- Thread starter anonomoose
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Firecatguy
New member
That article suks...doesn't answer anything...what did he do? what was negligent??
was it alcohol?speed?trespassing?
was it alcohol?speed?trespassing?
skidoodood
New member
Houghton man charged in snowmoblie death
Posted by kate puuri, houghton country - Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 12:42 p.m.
This is a sad case of a accident being just that a accident.Cops aren't even sure who hit who. There is also more to the story then just a open field. No one wants to see blame on either one. Not only does Puuri have to live with being in a accident where someone was killed. But that someone was his brother's girl friend. This case is so SAD.
This was just added to the article yesterday.......
Posted by kate puuri, houghton country - Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 12:42 p.m.
This is a sad case of a accident being just that a accident.Cops aren't even sure who hit who. There is also more to the story then just a open field. No one wants to see blame on either one. Not only does Puuri have to live with being in a accident where someone was killed. But that someone was his brother's girl friend. This case is so SAD.
This was just added to the article yesterday.......
HOUGHTON - The case against a Houghton man charged with causing a fatal snowmobile accident in March was dismissed after a preliminary hearing in 97th District Court in Houghton Friday.
Christopher Puuri, 24, was charged with negligent operation of a snowmobile causing serious injury or death, a two-year high court misdemeanor.
He collided with Amanda Briggs, 21, while both were riding snowmobiles on a clearing by the Range Snowmobile Club in Portage Township March 6. Briggs was pronounced dead at the scene.
Judge Mark Wisti said there was not enough proof that Puuri's actions were the main cause of Briggs' death.
Neither person had been wearing helmets, and both had blood-alcohol levels of .08, making them legally drunk, said Charles Klein, a deputy with the Houghton County Sheriff's Department, who responded at the scene. During the initial questioning, Puuri said he had been operating the snowmobile, but didn't remember the crash, Klein said.
Nobody witnessed the crash, which occurred around dusk, Klein said. The dense cross-hatching of earlier snowmobile tracks across the clearing added another level of difficulty.
Matthew Tingstad, Puuri's attorney, said Puuri was in the wrong place at the wrong time when hit by Briggs. For instance, hitting a building could lead to a fatality, but nobody would say it caused the death, he said.
Houghton County Prosecutor Michael Makinen said Puuri's drinking and failure to wear a helmet, which could have compromised his vision, were significant causes of Briggs' death.
"What evidence is there his negligence was a cause of the accident if nobody saw what happened?" Wisti asked.
"He was driving impaired, he didn't have a helmet on, and the officer indicated there was no braking on either part," Makinen said. "He didn't see what there was to be seen."
But Wisti said that only satisfied two of the three elements - that Puuri was operating the snowmobile, and that he was negligent.
After the hearing, family members clustered around and hugged Puuri.
"I feel like the judge made the proper legal ruling, and that it was a tragic accident," Tingstad said. "Everybody misses Amanda."
Makinen said he still might charge Puuri with operating a snowmobile in a negligent manner, a 90-day misdemeanor. That charge does not require proving that Puuri's actions caused a death.
"Because of the seriousness of the accident, I felt it should be determined in the judicial process," Makinen said of the original charge.
During the preliminary hearing, Makinen said he was unable to charge Puuri with operating a snowmobile under the influence; unlike the one for automobiles, the snowmobile charge still uses the previous legal limit of .10.
Christopher Puuri, 24, was charged with negligent operation of a snowmobile causing serious injury or death, a two-year high court misdemeanor.
He collided with Amanda Briggs, 21, while both were riding snowmobiles on a clearing by the Range Snowmobile Club in Portage Township March 6. Briggs was pronounced dead at the scene.
Judge Mark Wisti said there was not enough proof that Puuri's actions were the main cause of Briggs' death.
Neither person had been wearing helmets, and both had blood-alcohol levels of .08, making them legally drunk, said Charles Klein, a deputy with the Houghton County Sheriff's Department, who responded at the scene. During the initial questioning, Puuri said he had been operating the snowmobile, but didn't remember the crash, Klein said.
Nobody witnessed the crash, which occurred around dusk, Klein said. The dense cross-hatching of earlier snowmobile tracks across the clearing added another level of difficulty.
Matthew Tingstad, Puuri's attorney, said Puuri was in the wrong place at the wrong time when hit by Briggs. For instance, hitting a building could lead to a fatality, but nobody would say it caused the death, he said.
Houghton County Prosecutor Michael Makinen said Puuri's drinking and failure to wear a helmet, which could have compromised his vision, were significant causes of Briggs' death.
"What evidence is there his negligence was a cause of the accident if nobody saw what happened?" Wisti asked.
"He was driving impaired, he didn't have a helmet on, and the officer indicated there was no braking on either part," Makinen said. "He didn't see what there was to be seen."
But Wisti said that only satisfied two of the three elements - that Puuri was operating the snowmobile, and that he was negligent.
After the hearing, family members clustered around and hugged Puuri.
"I feel like the judge made the proper legal ruling, and that it was a tragic accident," Tingstad said. "Everybody misses Amanda."
Makinen said he still might charge Puuri with operating a snowmobile in a negligent manner, a 90-day misdemeanor. That charge does not require proving that Puuri's actions caused a death.
"Because of the seriousness of the accident, I felt it should be determined in the judicial process," Makinen said of the original charge.
During the preliminary hearing, Makinen said he was unable to charge Puuri with operating a snowmobile under the influence; unlike the one for automobiles, the snowmobile charge still uses the previous legal limit of .10.