Three snowmobilers killed over the weekend, bringing deaths this season to 17

Three snowmobile enthusiasts died over the weekend, boosting the number of deaths on the popular machines to 17 this season, one more than last winter.

A 26-year-old Illinois man died Friday in Vilas County while traveling on a trail on Star Lake with three other snowmobiles, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The man overshot the trail as it left the lake, striking a tree along the shore. Another snowmobiler in the victim's group also struck the man.

On Saturday, a 38-year-old Illinois man was driving his sled on Little St. Germain Lake in Vilas County when he struck a tree along the shore and died.

The next day, a 40-year-old Illinois man traveling on a public trail near Mercer in Iron County blew through a curve and struck trees.

The victims on Friday and Sunday were wearing helmets, the man who died Saturday was not.

February is often the deadliest month for snowmobile enthusiasts in Wisconsin, with alcohol, excess speed and driver inexperience the leading causes of fatalities, the DNR reported.

This month, nine people have died while snowmobiling in Wisconsin. Among them: a 15-year-old Wisconsin boy who failed to stop at an intersection of a public trail and highway near Seymour in Outagamie County and collided with a car on Feb. 12, a 28-year-old Wisconsin man who struck a fence on private land in Clark County on Feb. 9 and a 29-year-old woman killed in Oneida County when she struck several trees on Feb. 8.

While many people die when striking objects like trees, fences and other motor vehicles, a couple of fatalities this year happened when their snowmobile overturned and landed on them, and two people died after driving into open water on Lake Nokomis in Oneida County in January.

Last year, there were 16 snowmobile fatalities in Wisconsin including 11 who died on public trails and roads and another four killed on frozen waterways.

Fluctuating temperatures and snowfalls this winter have created rapidly changing terrain and conditions on trails and frozen rivers and lakes.

There are more than 200,000 registered snowmobiles in Wisconsin and 25,000 miles of groomed trails in the state.