An Ira snowmobiler was killed in front of his son, when he was struck by a minivan late Saturday night.

James Hilton, 46, of State Route 176, was traveling south on Bradt Road when his Arctic Cat snowmobile crossed into the northbound lane and into the path of the minivan, state police said. The snowmobile was hit head-on by the vehicle, driven by Dennis Kimberly, 49, of Watkins Road, Cato. Hilton was thrown from the sled and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A father of two, Hilton was out riding with his girlfriend and his son when the accident happened. Hilton's 16-year-old son, Matthew, was on a sled behind his father's snowmobile. James' girlfriend Kim Shultz was leading the snowmobilers on another sled.

Matthew saw the collision, and subsequently called for help from a nearby home, according to Ira Fire Chief Gene LaLone.

"He saw everything. He was pretty upset," LaLone said. LaLone had known Hilton, a heavy equipment operator at a Syracuse excavating company, for about 25 years.

The three were headed home after being out a few hours, Shultz said. They were about two miles from their home when the collision occurred.

The impact happened in the center of the road. The driver of the minivan hasn't been ticketed but the investigation is continuing, said Trooper Bob Faynor.

An experienced snowmobiler, Hilton had ridden sleds for years, Shultz said. Shultz had known her boyfriend for 16 years and the couple had a daughter, Brittany, 13.

"When there was snow, we were out," she said.

A state police accident reconstruction expert is still piecing together the accident. An autopsy was to be completed by the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office Monday or Tuesday.

It's the first snowmobile fatality this winter in Cayuga County. There have been three serious accidents in Cayuga County in recent weeks, two involving injuries and another accident involving a rescue on Owasco Lake.