The father of a 16-year-old snowmobiler who was seriously injured in a snowmobile accident on Sunday, January 22, said he drove six hours from Long Island to address the Town of Webb Board at its monthly meeting on Tuesday the 14th.

Phil Fortuna said that when his son ran his sled into a tree near Rondaxe, he was frustrated at not being able to use his cell phone to contact help.

He was faced with the tough decision of staying to comfort his son, who was unresponsive, or leaving him to find help.

Fortuna said he mounted his sled and drove about a mile and a half before encountering a trail grooming vehicle.Between the groomer and a passing snowmobiler, who was able to muster a bar of cell contact for a brief moment, a message was finally sent to local emergency responders who arrived just minutes later, much to Mr. Fortuna’s relief.

“I applaud the fire department, they did a great job,” he said.

But the inability to contact them promptly was a nightmare, according to Fortuna.

“I feel like I lost ten years of my life that Sunday,” he said.

Fortuna’s son suffered serious internal injuries from the accident. He was rushed to a Utica hospital before being air-lifted to Albany for treatment.

Thankfully he is now recovering, though he has a long way to go, according to Mr. Fortuna.

But the outcome could have been much worse, he said.

Mr. Fortuna said he was appearing at Tuesday’s meeting to impress upon the Town Board the need for reliable call capability for emergency services.

“At least some access… whether it’s the fire department, whether it’s 911, or the police department, whether it’s signs saying half a mile up the road there’s a box—something,” he said.

Fortuna suggested that higher priced trail permits would be worth it to many snowmobilers, provided the increase resulted in an ability to communicate in the event of an emergency.

Money is not the issue for these guys riding $15,000 sleds, he said.

Fortuna suggested placing emergency call boxes on the trails at certain intervals.

He also suggested the placement of signage to indicate where cell service is available.

Satellite phone boxes were also discussed, as was the possibility of increasing cell coverage with additional or improved antennae.

He encouraged the board to assemble a committee to explore options for improving emergency communications on the town’s trail system.

And Fortuna said he would like to offer his time and effort in bringing about an improved situation.

He said he felt obligated as a parent to try, with the help of the Town of Webb, to come up with a solution so no other parent need go through what his family did.

“Everybody I speak to—everybody loves Old Forge. My wife likes to go shopping in the shops—we love coming here. I’ve rented snowmobiles, I’ve gotten passes in past years; I come here during the summer also,” he said.

Fortuna said his family actually owns a summer home in Lake George, which also has snowmobiling opportunities.

“We could stay in Lake George—believe me, there’s plenty to do—but we love it here. We love coming here. But I just think you have to be a little more proactive toward setting up a 9-1-1 system in case of emergency,” he said.

The board and audience members kicked around some ideas and discussed known limitations. The board pledged to informally gather further information with the possibility of taking further steps.

Fortuna requested to be kept informed and reiterated his offer of assistance. He gave his cell number, saying he could be reached any time.