13-year-old killed in snowmobile safety class

gary_in_neenah

gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Posted: Oct 28, 2013 7:53 AM CDT


OSCEOLA, Wis. (AP) - A young girl who was participating in a snowmobile safety class was killed when her machine accelerated and crashed in western Wisconsin.

Police in Osceola say the 13-year-old girl was taking a class being taught by volunteers from the local snowmobile club on Saturday when her snowmobile suddenly accelerated and hit a loading dock. She was rushed to Osceola Medical Center, then airlifted to Regions Hospital in the Twin Cities and transferred to Gillette Children's Hospital.

KARE-TV reports the girl died on Sunday. Police say the young teen was wearing a helmet. The cause of the acceleration is being investigated by police and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
 
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ezra

Well-known member
sad I saw this story last night.
I thought in MN any way all sleds used for safety training had to have a block throttle stop what ever u want to call it.
more or less a block of wood taped to handle bar under throttle.
or is that just something they do in our club?
 
J

jebjk1

Member
timo said:
I'm confused?
What was she driving on? Is there any snow? Was she just on grass?
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"The front of the snowmobile was outfitted with wheels on the skis, equipment supplied by the machine’s manufacturer, to best simulate being on snow as it rolled along the pavement outside the school, Lauridsen said"
 
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skidoowi

Member
Tragic. My prayers to her family. My 13 year old daughter takes the snowmobile safety class in Seymour starting November 9th.

OSCEOLA — A 13-year-old girl who was participating in a snowmobile safety class died after her machine suddenly accelerated, veered off a training course and crashed into a loading dock in western Wisconsin.

The girl’s mother, a nurse, ran to join first responders in life-saving efforts on Saturday. The crash took place outside the high school in the Polk County community of Osceola where volunteers from the local snowmobile club were teaching the safety class.

About 42 participants were using the same snowmobile, outfitted with wheels on the skis, to take turns on the slow-speed maneuver course.

“The instructor who was in charge of the class had been doing this for 31 years and has never had any incidents,” Osceola Police Chief Tim Lauridsen told the Star Tribune newspaper of Minneapolis.

The girl, who was wearing a helmet, was negotiating a pattern of traffic cones when the snowmobile accelerated and hit the loading dock, police said.

The girl, who has not been identified, was airlifted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., and then transferred to neighboring Gillette Children’s Hospital, where she arrived in critical condition. Authorities say the girl died Sunday at Gillette Children’s Hospital.

Police and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are investigating.
 
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lenny

Guest
what a total tragedy, man,,,to think what the family is going through and what that poor girl experienced.
 
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ezra

Well-known member
yep I asked the certified trainer in our club today .
and in MN a throttle block is mandatory in all MN snowmobile safety training.
looks like WI needs to review some polices
 
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I Doo

Member
I am an instructor for our snowmobile club. First of all you do not have to give a riding test. It is the clubs option. We don't have to block the throttle either in WI. Our clubs instructors have decide a few years ago not to give the riding test. We feel it's the parents responsibility to teach riding skills to their kids not the club. We give them the basic skill set to be practicing but certainly don't know each child's abilities in 6 hours. This has been a horrible event. My sympathy goes out to the family, friends and teachers.
 
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lenny

Guest
I Doo said:
I am an instructor for our snowmobile club. First of all you do not have to give a riding test. It is the clubs option. We don't have to block the throttle either in WI. Our clubs instructors have decide a few years ago not to give the riding test. We feel it's the parents responsibility to teach riding skills to their kids not the club. We give them the basic skill set to be practicing but certainly don't know each child's abilities in 6 hours. This has been a horrible event. My sympathy goes out to the family, friends and teachers.
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this may not be the opportune time to say something but when I first learned of this and the circumstances surrounding it, I got a bad feeling about a safty class not on actual snow, makes no sense.
 
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durphee

Well-known member
Tragic, a young person and volunteers trying to do the right thing and teach safety of snowmobiling. Prayers.
 
K

kwikgren

Member
So sad. My condolences to all.

There's always the unexpected. I'm not a big fan of operating snowmachines and ATV's on pavement as they do not handle well, however it is a necessary skill as you may cross a road or two and that is when many tragedies do occur. The first thing they teach, I would assume, is that you always use the kill switch to turn off your machine. Why? Because it is a very important thing to be able to do instinctively. Like using a turn signal. Either you do it, or you don't do it at all. Unfortunately, a beginner would not have enough experience to develop that important second nature reaction. There is nothing scarier than a stuck wide open throttle. I've had this happen to me with both snowmachines and ATV's, especially when the temperature is around freezing and the humidity is high. I've literally had to ride flipping the kill switch off and on to make it home or until I could unstick the throttle by working it. This "wide open stuck throttle phenomenon" can occur without ever actually having the throttle wide open, so I'm not convinced that a governor or throttle block is the total answer either.
 
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