MARQUETTE — A Northern Michigan University student was injured in a Saturday snowmobile accident in Marquette Township, the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The sheriff’s office said in a news release that it responded to a single-snowmobile personal-injury accident in the township at 2:24 p.m. Saturday.

An investigation revealed that the operator of the snowmobile, a 19-year-old NMU student and downstate resident, decided to exit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources snowmobile trail No. 14 and travel in a prohibited area.

The sheriff’s office said the driver was operating the snowmobile at a high rate of speed and failed to stop, and then went over a steep embankment where the snowmobile flipped over a couple of times.

The operator of the snowmobile was extricated using rope rescue techniques and brought up to a rescue sled where he was transported to an ambulance and brought to UP Health System – Marquette after suffering serious injuries.

The crash remains under investigation. The sheriff’s office indicated that excessive speed and operating in unfamiliar terrain were contributing factors in the accident.

Assisting agencies were UP Health System EMS and Marquette Township Fire/Rescue.