VICTORY, N.Y. — Robert Garrison was headed down a familiar snowmobile trail on a cold January afternoon when his ride ended in sudden tragedy. The 49-year-old Hannibal man died after a violent crash in the town of Victory that left a tight-knit community stunned and grieving.
State police say the crash happened around 2:39 p.m. on January 27, 2026, along a designated snowmobile trail that crosses Ira Station Road. Garrison was riding a 2022 Lynx snowmobile westbound, approaching a roadway clearly marked with stop signs on both sides.
Investigators believe Garrison did not stop before entering the road. His snowmobile crossed the northbound lane and slammed into the plow blade of a southbound Town of Victory highway snowplow. The impact was devastating and unfolded in seconds.
After striking the plow, the snowmobile veered off and crashed into a wooden utility pole fitted with an electrical box. Moments later, the machine caught fire, turning an ordinary winter afternoon into a scene of chaos and heartbreak.
Emergency responders rushed Garrison to Upstate University Hospital, where medical teams worked desperately to save him. Despite those efforts, he was pronounced dead, marking a tragic end to a life many say was defined by warmth, familiarity, and deep local roots.
The snowplow involved was a 2019 International Harvester driven by a 45-year-old Victory resident. Police said the driver was fully cooperative at the scene and showed no signs of impairment.
The New York State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit responded to the crash and continues to investigate the circumstances leading up to the collision. For now, the facts are being carefully pieced together as officials work to understand exactly how it happened.
Beyond the investigation, the loss of Robert Garrison has rippled through Hannibal and Victory alike. Friends and neighbors are left holding onto memories, sharing stories, and mourning a man whose life was cut short in an instant on a trail he never expected would be his last.
