By CHRIS PETERSON

Hungry Horse News

A Columbia Falls man is dead after a snowmobile accident Thursday (Feb. 16).

Jeffrey E. Scott, 45, was snowmobiling in a field off Birch Grove Road when he tried to make a turn at a high rate of speed on bare frozen ground. The snowmobile flipped and Scott was ejected from the sled, said Flathead County Deputy Coroner Ernie Freebury.

It appears Scott died instantly from a closed head injury, Freebury said. Scott was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

The accident was discovered after Scott did not return back to the house after going for the spin, which was property owned by a relative.

The family member went out to look for him and discovered his body in the field.

The track of the snowmobile indicated the sled rolled one time.

The accident is being investigated by Montana Highway Patrol and the Flathead County Coroner's office. Responding to the scene were West Valley Fire Department, Kalispell Ambulance, Montana Highway Patrol and the Flathead County Sheriff's Department.