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Wetmore crash kills one sled dog, injures others during race

WETMORE, MI--   One dog is dead and two injured, after a vehicle hit a sled dog team competing in the UP200 Sled Dog Race.  

Troopers from the Munising Detachment say the accident happened Sunday around 5:40 a.m. on M-28 near the Cherrywood Lodge in Wetmore. 

Race officials say musher Frank Moe of Bemidji, Minnesota was trying to cross the highway with his freshly rested dogs.  Volunteers at the crossing tried to warn Moe of approaching traffic and tried to stop the team, but couldn’t. 

An eastbound pickup truck driven by a 66-year-old Ontario man hit the team, killing one dog and seriously injuring two others.  The dogs are expected to recover. 

The driver had slowed down prior to the crash, but was unable to avoid the team.  Michigan law prohibits race volunteers from stopping vehicle traffic.

Officials say it’s the first time in the race’s 24-year history that a team and vehicle collided. 

The driver had the right-of-way and was not cited with any offense. 

Nicole was born near Detroit but has lived in the U.P. most of her life. She graduated from Marquette Senior High School and attended Michigan State and Northern Michigan Universities, graduating from NMU in 1993 with a degree in English.