(Photo: DNR)
Wisconsin recorded two more snowmobile-related deaths over the weekend – the eighth and ninth for the year.
In west central Wisconsin, Monroe County sheriff’s deputies say 29-year-old Michael Melde of Sparta died Saturday when his machine lost control on a curve, and struck fencing and a bridge overpass in Wilton near Highway 71.
The other snowmobile death occurred early Sunday in Oconto County in northeast Wisconsin. Officials say an unidentified man died after his snowmobile veered out of control on a curve and apparently struck at least one tree.
The state Department of Natural Resources continues to investigate both deaths. The total statewide snowmobile deaths for the season are four higher than they were at this point last winter.