Salem Man Arrested After Reporting Snowmobile Accident

A local man will be arraigned in court in March after being arrested at a snowmobile crash on Arlington Pond in Salem.

Matthew Wilinsky, 32, of Salem, was arrested on Jan. 12, on an outstanding bench warrant for operating after a suspension.

According to police, officers and fire and rescue teams were called to Arlington Pond for a snowmobile accident at around 3 p.m. on Jan. 12.

When they arrived, they found a man and a woman, who hadn’t been wearing helmets, injured after the machine hit a rock protruding through the ice. The collision with the rock caused the snowmobile to flip, throwing the woman, who was driving, and the man, who was the passenger, into more rocks.

“Preliminary reports indicate that poor visibility played a role in the crash,” according to Lt. Joel Dolan of the Salem Police Department. “At this time the accident remains under investigation to determine any additional contributing factors. Conservation Officers from the New Hampshire Fish and Game (also) responded and assisted with the investigation.”

The man received life-threatening injuries and was transported first to Holy Family Hospital and then Massachusetts General Hospital. The woman was taken to Lawrence General Hospital, treated and released.

Wilinsky, who was riding a second snowmobile with the woman, who is his mother, called in the incident to 911. Police later determined that he was a habitual offender by the New Hampshire DMW and also had an active warrant. Wilinsky was arrested and is due in court on March 2.

Editor’s note: The following post was derived from information supplied by the Salem Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch arrest report.