A snowmobile rider attacked two mushers and their teams Saturday in the annual Iditarod dogsled race across Alaska, killing one dog and injuring several others near the Nulato checkpoint.
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King was 12 miles (19.31 kilometers) from Nulato when three of his dogs were hit by the snowmobile. That’s because he was, by his own admission, blackout drunk.
When asked if he thought he should go to jail, Demoski said he did, but hoped that he wouldn’t have to. Zirkle was in second place Saturday afternoon, according to race standings.
Demoski was not charged with driving under the influence but could be.
Demoski said when he woke up Saturday morning and heard what had happened to the mushers, he checked his snowmobile and realized he had done it.
“I just want to say I’m sorry”, he said. “I called the [village public safety officer] right off, told him it was me”.
The Iditarod was first staged in 1973 by Joe Redington, Sr. and Dorothy Page, as reported by the Courthouse News Service, and billed as “The Last Great Race on Earth” – an answer to a time of change in the North as people were faced with the advent of gas-powered, mechanical snow machines, which dog sleds simply could not compete with in practical terms.
The crashes killed one dog and injured at least two others.
King was 12 miles from Nulato when three of his dogs were hit by the snowmachine. One of her dogs sustained non-life-threatening injuries, the statement said.
Carrie Skinner, Jeff King’s Husky Homestead Tours, wrote in statement to Channel 2 News that Nash was the grandson of famous lead dog, Salem. According to the Iditarod release the crash resulted in the death of Nash, a three-year-old male dog. King also sought medical treatment after reporting the incident.
Five others have also scratched in this year’s race: Charley Bejna, Hans Gatt, Zoya DeNure, Martin Koenig and Jan Steves.
This year’s Iditarod features 85 mushers and teams each made up of 16 dogs. All of his dogs were equipped with reflectors.
It did not appear to be an accident, he said. “He didn’t slow down”.
Zirkle reached Nulato and told a race official the incident had left her shaken.
“I’m really bad”, she told race judge Karen Ramstead.
In a phone interview before his arrest Saturday afternoon, Demoski apologized for the incident and denied it was an attack. He said he is a lifelong fan of the race and that King was always his favorite competitor.
After a four-hour rest, Zirkle left Nulato – leaving one dog behind – in third place. “They say I continuously attacked them but I turned around because I was concerned”.
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Officials in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race say a person on a snowmobile early Saturday morning purposely struck two teams in the race. Zirkle is now in third place.
