Weekend Fatalities

gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
STANNARD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLUC) - One man is dead after a snowmobile crash Friday night in Ontonagon County.
Deputies were called just after 11:00 p.m. Friday to a crash on Trail #3 near Federal Forest Rd. 730 and US-45 in Stannard Township, according to a press release the Ontonagon County Sheriff’s Office issued Monday morning. Arriving crews found a 36-year-old man from Bonduel, Wis.
EMS and first responders initiated life-saving measures. The man was pronounced dead a short while later.
SONCO South Ambulance Service, the Bruce Crossing Fire Department, the Ontonagon County Medical Examiner’s Office, Cane Funeral Home and Lake Gogebic Towing all assisted at the scene.
The sheriff’s office says the crash remains under investigation, but speed and alcohol appear to be factors.


FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WFRV) – Authorities in Fond du Lac County say one man is dead after a UTV went into the water on Lake Winnebago on Saturday afternoon.
According to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, on February 1, around 12:30 p.m., a 911 call came in from someone saying they were on Lake Winnebago and two people fell into open water. The caller said they got them out of the water but one person had no pulse and was not breathing. Multiple agencies responded to the scene.
 

indy_500

Well-known member
There is another one as well that I haven’t seen a report for… guy in his mid 20s that works at another local machine shop died yesterday on a sled, not sure the location.
 

hermie

Well-known member
So sad to see loss of life. Unfortunately most of these unnecessary loss of life seems to have 1 common factor. I just don't understand drinking and then getting behind a wheel of any motorized vehicle. Most know by now that a lot of times the final results aren't good but yet you read about it every weekend. The SxS one sounds like the people just didn't do there due diligence on ice conditions. I can't remember another year with so many people falling through the ice. That part is weird because it's been pretty cold overall. Maybe that's part of the problem people are just taking it for granted the ice is safe and not doing due diligence. 🤔
 

pclark

Well-known member
40 years ago our group was snowmobiling based In Minocqua, stayed at the hotel where the condos are by the Yacht Club. We were at Heart II in Woodruff until they closed, yep we were very young and drank a lot back then, it had to be -25 that night we got back on the first lake to head back and my buddy had a 440 exciter and passed us all hauling ass down the lake. He missed the trail and drove straight into the woods, I was first to get to him, seeing his sled impaled on a tree, looked around and found him20 ft off to the right laying on his back. I said “Wally, say something!, he spit out 2 bloody teeth, I had him wiggle his toes and fingers, we loaded him on the back of another sled, back to the hotel and then over to Howard Young Emergency Room. He was lucky, nothing broken, he missed 4 months of work, and his girlfriend, now wife, told him when he got home that his snowmobiling days were over. Definitely alcohol was the factor, no authorities were ever called so no one ever knew but us. We were young, stupid, and lucky. I don’t drink while I ride anymore, not worth it.
 

jjj70095

Active member
What year did they start having trails in Minocqua? My uncle said in the 70's there were no trails and you could drive anywhere with a sled.
 

pclark

Well-known member
It was probably 79-80 that we started going up there snowmobiling, back then a long trip was 40 miles and usually someone broke down. But there were trails between the towns back then.
 

latner

Active member
So sad to see loss of life. Unfortunately most of these unnecessary loss of life seems to have 1 common factor. I just don't understand drinking and then getting behind a wheel of any motorized vehicle. Most know by now that a lot of times the final results aren't good but yet you read about it every weekend. The SxS one sounds like the people just didn't do there due diligence on ice conditions. I can't remember another year with so many people falling through the ice. That part is weird because it's been pretty cold overall. Maybe that's part of the problem people are just taking it for granted the ice is safe and not doing due diligence. 🤔
#2 riding beyond your ability
 

old abe

Well-known member
Yeah, well, pclark, don't ever depend on luck as it may not happen when it's needed, eh? However, be very grateful when it happens when it is needed! I've experienced several accidents, in which the good Lord greatly blessed me. Okay, my first sled of my very own was a 71 Doo TNT. My riding friends had ACat EXT's, Cheeta's and Panther's. We would occasionally go to SW, and W Central Sconny riding what I would call a very primitive trail system. Such as in the beginning stages of what it would rapidly become. But they were snowmobile trails. Something that we only had a very few of at home.
 
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gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Personally, I'd be interested in the figures of fatalities over the years. I'm thinking the numbers have grown over the years exponentially as the horsepower has increased. I recall in my early days of riding with groups, there was some serious drinking out there. Not just in bars but out on the trail. It wasn't uncommon for a group to stop at an intersection and pull out the bottle! But the lower h.p. and primitive trails on early suspensions kept the speeds down. Not so much anymore. The one thing that hasn't changed is that alcohol and snowmobiles are a bad combination. Now, more than ever.

I don't mean to preach here. We all know the hazards of the sport and if we can better manage those hazards, maybe more of us would come home to our families at the end of the ride.;)
 

Highflyer

Active member
Personally, I'd be interested in the figures of fatalities over the years. I'm thinking the numbers have grown over the years exponentially as the horsepower has increased. I recall in my early days of riding with groups, there was some serious drinking out there. Not just in bars but out on the trail. It wasn't uncommon for a group to stop at an intersection and pull out the bottle! But the lower h.p. and primitive trails on early suspensions kept the speeds down. Not so much anymore. The one thing that hasn't changed is that alcohol and snowmobiles are a bad combination. Now, more than ever.

I don't mean to preach here. We all know the hazards of the sport and if we can better manage those hazards, maybe more of us would come home to our families at the end of the ride.;)
I personally feel that drinking/riding has been reduced significantly since the 80/early90's. Back then bars used to be packed well into the evening hours. Nightlife up North is almost not existent unless you have a bar surrounding by cabins/hotels.

The uptick in awareness is certainly a result of social media. However, I never will understand why on every site someone always loves to be the first to post about an accident/death like you get some sort of medal for posting first. I for one, have no desire to post to the world about someone else's misfortune. Especially when they are just passing on second hand information without facts.
 

durphee

Well-known member
Personally, I'd be interested in the figures of fatalities over the years. I'm thinking the numbers have grown over the years exponentially as the horsepower has increased. I recall in my early days of riding with groups, there was some serious drinking out there. Not just in bars but out on the trail. It wasn't uncommon for a group to stop at an intersection and pull out the bottle! But the lower h.p. and primitive trails on early suspensions kept the speeds down. Not so much anymore. The one thing that hasn't changed is that alcohol and snowmobiles are a bad combination. Now, more than ever.

I don't mean to preach here. We all know the hazards of the sport and if we can better manage those hazards, maybe more of us would come home to our families at the end of the ride.;)
Plenty of data within these reports, much more than just accident/death data points.
 

mezz

Well-known member
I personally feel that drinking/riding has been reduced significantly since the 80/early90's. Back then bars used to be packed well into the evening hours. Nightlife up North is almost not existent unless you have a bar surrounding by cabins/hotels.

The uptick in awareness is certainly a result of social media. However, I never will understand why on every site someone always loves to be the first to post about an accident/death like you get some sort of medal for posting first. I for one, have no desire to post to the world about someone else's misfortune. Especially when they are just passing on second hand information without facts.
I see no harm in sharing news information with this community. The referenced incidents that were passed on came from television news stations, not second hand information without facts. It serves as a reminder for everyone to be safe at all times. Sadly, these things happen & could have been prevented. Nothing wrong with a little public service announcement to instill the need to stay safe.
 

old abe

Well-known member
I see no harm in sharing news information with this community. The referenced incidents that were passed on came from television news stations, not second hand information without facts. It serves as a reminder for everyone to be safe at all times. Sadly, these things happen & could have been prevented. Nothing wrong with a little public service announcement to instill the need to stay safe.
Absolutely spot on perfect, and true mezz!
 

Highflyer

Active member
I see no harm in sharing news information with this community. The referenced incidents that were passed on came from television news stations, not second hand information without facts. It serves as a reminder for everyone to be safe at all times. Sadly, these things happen & could have been prevented. Nothing wrong with a little public service announcement to instill the need to stay safe.

While reminders to stay safe are valuable, it's essential to ensure they don't just trigger fear but also offer practical, constructive solutions. A general message about safety may be more beneficial than publicizing specific incidents. Neither of the people in this thread posted anything about staying safe out there......They just wanted to bring light to accidents. Comes across as an alarmist/ambulance chaser mentality.

I don't think any of us come to this message board every Monday to read about "Weekend Fatalities".
 

whitedust

Well-known member
We all want everyone to make it home safe and sound. Unfortunately some do not and leave us on the trail via tree or hole in the ice on a lake trail or crossing a road. Its not a bad thing to remind us bad things can happen to good people. For me I don’t like these reminders but maybe it helps idk?
 

gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
I think we do a good job of keeping our readers current. Yes, fatalities are part of the content but we also include the positives like the Cancer Snowball event. We have an Event Category for fund raisers and the Current Conditions of the upper midwest are a good source for accurate information.
Are we perfect? Of course not. As a Moderator, I read each post for content. Members and Lurkers have the choice of choosing to read a post or move on to something of greater interest. There's a lot to choose from and posting your thoughts and content is always welcomed.
 

Tuck

Active member
Well this is a snow site so I expect the bad with the good info. Yes we all need to be responsible and safe on the trails. The fact is people die every day for multiple reasons, self inflicted, health, accidents, or caused by others and all are unfortunate for victims and loved ones. Society has cruel rules that change constantly. What I do not care for is how media and the public pick up on only certain deaths and portray to fit their agenda. There are so many deaths that are unsessasary that are never in the media that need to be addressed. I am sorry if any are offended my intentions are pure without malace.
 
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