RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU-WXPR) -- A rash of snowmobile crashes across the region has DNR officials reminding riders to take precautions before they hit the trails.
"As of January this year there's been five fatalities. Three have been in Oneida, one in Forest and one in Juneau County," DNR Warden Justin Bender in Woodruff told WXPR Radio in Rhinelander. "Of the five, we still are waiting [for] blood results, it takes some time. But in four of those, itappears alcohol was involved and we're still pending results from finding that out."
He says riding sober is just one way you can make for a safe ride. In other cases, having adequate training and not over-driving the conditions are also key.
"[In other] crashes we've had somebody that has either missed a corner or traveled off a corner and hit a fixed object, be it a tree or something like that."
Bender says exceeding the 55 MPH speed limit at night can have you "outdriving your headlights," meaning objects in the distance will approach faster than you can see them.
During the last weekend officials across the region reported nearly a half-dozen other crashes involving injuries or fatalities. In Iron County, a rider is on life support after their sled collided with a car. On Saturday afternoon, a rider was killed when they hit a snowbank on Lake Winnebago, flipping their sled which then landed on top of them. Alcohol and speed are said to be factors in that crash.
Other fatalities were reported in Langlade County and Forest County.
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