Winter is here in Wisconsin. With winter comes, winter weather. Winter weather also allows for the possibility of winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, tubing and snowmobiling.  While these winter sports can be fun, they can also pose potential safety hazards. Recently, a tragic accident occurred in Ozaukee County involving a winter sports activity.

Around 7:00 pm on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, law enforcement officials and emergency responders responded to the scene of an accident on WIS 57 in Ozaukee County. An individual had been driving a snowmobile on the trails that cross WIS 57. Law enforcement officials believe the snowmobile driver failed to stop at a stop sign that indicated traffic across the roadway. When the snowmobile driver entered the roadway, she was struck by a flatbed truck. The force of the collision caused the snowmobile driver. Emergency responders worked diligently to try to save the snowmobile driver’s life, but tragically the driver passed away at the scene of the accident. The crash remains under investigation. Currently, law enforcement officials do not believe any charges will be filed against the driver of the truck that was involved in the accident.

This tragic accident demonstrates the importance of paying full attention to your surroundings while either driver a motor vehicle or snowmobiling. Drivers of either type of vehicle should ensure their full attention is on the roadways and make sure that they adhere to all traffic signs and laws. By ensuring that drivers have their full attention on the roadways and are not engaging in distracted driving activities, drivers give themselves more time to respond to unexpected occurrences in the roadways. By having more time to respond, drivers can help to reduce the chance of being involved in an accident. By practicing safe driving, it can help to keep the roads safer for everyone.