NOORVIK -- A man died outside the Northwest Alaska village of Noorvik when he lost control of his snowmachine and was thrown off late Wednesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Troopers said Selawik resident Floyd Knox, 35, was driving the snowmachine at a high rate of speed from Noorvik to Selawik after playing in a basketball tournament. The trail was bumpy, Knox had been seen drinking earlier and he was not wearing a helmet, said troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen.
It's unclear how fast Knox was traveling, Ipsen said. Another snowmachiner saw Knox lose control and fall off his late-model Polaris Rush 600 snowmachine about five miles outside the village, Ipsen said.
"He apparently passed this guy, then fell off and got back on, took off again and went out of the witness' sight," Ipsen said. "When (the witness) crested a hill, he found Knox off his snowmachine, unresponsive."
The snowmachine was only slightly damaged, she said.
Village medics who responded to the crash pronounced Knox dead. A village public safety officer reported the fatality to troopers at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, troopers said.
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