Snowmobile accidents kill two

Crashes leave pair of Fox Valley residents dead

By John Lee
Post-Crescent staff writer

The deaths of two Fox Valley men and injuries to two other people in snowmobile crashes have spurred officials to call last weekend one of Oconto County's deadliest for snowmobiles.

The two injured include a 20-year-old Shawano man, whose 24-year-old brother died in a crash, and a 20-year-old Hortonville woman. Officials are calling their injuries life-threatening.

The state Department of Natural Resources does not release names of dead or injured victims, and the Oconto County Sheriff's Department said Monday night that names of the two men who died in accidents there were not being released pending notification of relatives.

Bob Goerlinger, the DNR warden supervisor, said the crashes came when there were "superb" snowmobiling conditions — and while six additional wardens were patrolling trails in a snowmobile accident reduction effort.

Crashes reported by the DNR included:
· The death of a 24-year-old Appleton man about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, when the snowmobile he was on struck a tree on the Oconto County Recreation Trail two miles south of Mountain. The victim's 20-year-old brother from Shawano was on the snowmobile with him and suffered serious head injuries.
Goerlinger said the snowmobile was traveling at a high rate of speed and failed to negotiate a curve.

· The death of a 46-year-old Two Rivers man while he was struck by a van while snowmobiling on a snow-covered road five miles north of Mountain.
That 8:30 p.m. crash occurred when the man's wife, who was driving a snowmobile behind him, struck the man's snowmobile.
The victim was ejected onto the road and struck by a van that was headed in the opposite direction.
That crash occurred on Island Lake Road in the Town of Doty, a personal access snowmobile route.
The man was pronounced dead from massive internal injuries and his wife suffered chest injuries.

· On Friday, a 20-year-old Hortonville woman who was a passenger on a snowmobile was injured when the machine struck a utility pole guy wire and a tree.

Goerlinger said she was not wearing a helmet and remains in "very serious condition" with head injuries.
The snowmobile operator was injured but has been released from the hospital.
The weekend's crashes also included one near Dunbar in nearby Marinette County early Saturday that claimed the life of Joseph Biesterveld, 46, of Little Chute.

Officials said he died when his snowmobile struck a tree at a high rate of speed.
Goerlinger said the specialized accident reduction team in the Lakewood area issued 50 citations and at least 200 warnings. Eight arrests were for intoxicated operation.

He said one man was arrested, but escaped injury, after he collided with two deer late at night on a trail while he was going 80 mph. Companions also were cited for intoxicated operation.

Goerlinger said the good conditions resulted in a "huge influx of snowmobile traffic" over the weekend.

"We are grateful to have the extra warden help in Lakewood making those visible contacts on the trail and attempting to slow things down to promote safety up there," he said.

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