Case Study #2
An inexperienced 17 year old male operator was following an experienced rider at a high rate of speed when he lost control and was thrown off his snowmobile and into a tree. His snowmobile was not damaged, but he died from chest trauma as the result of being thrown against the tree (photos 1 and 2 show bark strewn at the base of the tree as the result of his impact – photo 1 [vertical] shows the tree best in relation to being on the trail’s edge). Inspection of the snowmobile found that the track had 75 worn trail studs and new 10-inch carbides on the skis. The tie-rod ends were excessively worn which created excessive play in the steering. The trail had been groomed the previous night and had set-up hard and smooth, with the accident occurring at 7:30 AM. A test drive of the snowmobile found serious handling difficulties with extreme ski darting. (Photo 3 shows the undamaged snowmobile with improper ski alignment.)