Stevens Point Snowmobile Accident Lawyers

Tips for Operating a Snowmobile Safely

Snowmobiling is becoming an increasingly popular sport in the northern portion of the United States. As popularity has increased, so have the number of injuries reported that are related to snowmobiling. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission tallies more than 13,000 emergency room injuries each year. In addition, there are more than 100 people every year that die while riding snowmobiles.

Of the reported deaths, 40% of them were from colliding with trees, wires, bridges, and other vehicles. Other people have died as a result of their snowmobile rolling into a stream and pinning them under the vehicle underwater. There are other deaths associated with operating on ice that is too thin to support the weight of the snowmobile causing the snowmobile and its operator to break through the ice.

As a result of the increase in injuries and deaths, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that the following precautions be taken.

• Never operate your snowmobile alone or on unfamiliar ground. If something does go wrong, it could be a difference between life and death.
• Avoid water. Frozen rivers and lakes can be fatal due to drowning or hypothermia if the snowmobile crashes through the ice. It is nearly impossible to judge adequate ice coverage or thickness.
• Slow down or pause at the top of a hill. There could be a cliff, a snow bank, or other unseen hazard on the other side of the hill.
• Use extra caution when operating your snowmobile at night. Do not operate at speeds faster than your headlights allow you to see.

If you have been injured in a snowmobiling accident, contact the Stevens Point snowmobile accident lawyers of Habush, Habush, & Rottier, S.C. at 1-800-248-0171 to discuss your case and to determine your legal options.