Ouch!
 

A Snowmobile Rider once again suffers the consequences for "the need for speed".


From USA Today
Monday, March 5
Tuftonboro - Richard Drew, 36, landed in the hospital after a snowmobile crash sent him flying more than 100 feet through the air over frozen Lake Winnipesaukee. Drew was speeding across the lake when he hit a snowdrift and was launched over the ice. Investigators believe speed and alcohol were factors.

Compounded risk
 

Drunk, speed or darkness. No more than one at a time.

No common sense
 

Anyone that wants to go fast in any type of vehicle should always check the course, conditions, and their vehicle first. That's why race car drivers take practice laps at lower speeds, to check out the track and the performance of their cars. The lake is not a level surface. There are drifts, ice ridges, plow piles, tracks from other sleds, fishing holes, ... You need to run the course slowly first to make sure there are no surprises. I usually build up speed over multiple passes.

I agree with Lakegeezer. Every time I see an article about a snowmobile accident I can almost predict that 1) they were out at night on a lake, 2) they were drunk, 3) they were going faster than made sense for the conditions , 4) they didn't know the area they were riding in, 5) and possibly they were inexperienced snowmobilers. I wouldn't be surprised if the newspapers had a story template made up with fill in the blanks for the riders name and state.

I hope he's OK and learns from his experience.

I'm with you Jeff, but I'd be willing to bet that the state is usually the same too.:(