MADISON (WKOW)– The Department of Natural Resources is reminding of the increased dangers of snowmobiling while drunk or speeding.

A Vernon teen who was in a coma for three days after being thrown from a snowmobile has died.

17-year-old Chelsey Lobenhober was riding on the back of the snowmobile Wednesday in Waukesha County when the speeding driver lost control and swerved to avoid a car on the lake.

The DNR reports, as of December 21st, there have been three fatal snowmobile crashes so far this snowmobile season.

The first one in Oconto County where a 31-year-old man died.

The second in Oneida County where a 20-year-old woman died.

Alcohol was a factor in that crash.

In Crawford County, a snowmobile was hit by a pickup truck, killing a 41-year-old man.

Oneida County authorities said Kristine Bronken, 20, of Round Lake, Ill., became the county’s first snowmobile fatality of 2009-10 snowmobile season when the sled she was operating struck a house in the town of Three Lakes on Saturday around 1:30 p.m.

Bronken sustained head and chest trauma and was pronounced dead Saturday evening at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, according to the Oneida County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Alcohol was said to be a factor in the accident, authorities said. According to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource Department’s preliminary findings, “the victim and a companion left a bar after consuming several alcoholic beverages and failed to follow the snowmobile route, lost control and attempted to brake for approximately 200 feet and went airborne prior to striking the residence.”

A preliminary Blood Alcohol Content of 0.213 was reported, nearly three times the legal limit. Further details were not release. The crash is being investigated by the Three Lakes Police Department, DNR and Oneida County.

Speed or alcohol were said to be involved in two other fatalities – one in the Town of Brazeau in Oconto County Dec. 18, claiming the life of a 31-year-old Wisconsin man, and the other Dec. 19 in the Town of Seneca Struck in Crawford County, killing a 41-year-old Iowa man whose sled was hit by a vehicle.

In the 2008-2009 snowmobile season, 23 deaths were reported statewide.

DNR offers the following safety tips:

Never consume alcohol or drugs before or during snowmobile operation. Drinking alcohol before or during snowmobiling can impair judgment and slow reaction time. Snowmobilers who have been drinking often drive too fast. Alcohol also causes body temperature to drop at an accelerated rate, which increases the likelihood of hypothermia. Alcohol has been shown to be a contributing factor in most fatal snowmobile accidents.

Slow down. Speed is a contributing factor in nearly all fatal snowmobiling accidents. Drivers should proceed at a pace that will allow ample reaction time for any situation. Drive at moderate speeds, and drive defensively, especially after sunset.

Carry a first-aid kit, flashlight, knife, compass, map, and waterproof matches.

Avoid traveling across bodies of water when uncertain of ice thickness or water currents. Rapidly changing weather and moving water in streams and lake inlets also affect the thickness and strength of ice on lakes and ponds. Snow cover can act as a blanket and prevents thick strong ice from forming.

Dress appropriately. Always wear a helmet with goggles or a face shield to prevent injuries from twigs and flying debris. Wear layers of water-repellent clothing and make sure you have no loose ends that might catch in the machine or tangle in equipment.

Stay on marked trails or, where allowed, on the right shoulder of the road. Be alert for fences, tree stumps and stretched wire that may be concealed by snow.

Never travel alone. Most snowmobile accidents result in personal injury. The most dangerous situations occur when a person is injured and alone. If you must travel alone, tell someone your destination, planned route, and when you will return.

The state Department of Natural Resources says some winter activities might be limited because of snow damage and other concerns.

The DNR says many state parks planned to have trails groomed for the weekend, but the storm knocked down trees and branches in about half the parks. Skiers and snowmobilers should confirm conditions ahead of time with the park or forest office.

Some snowmobile trails might be closed because of open water and standing crops. County officials can tell you which trails are open.

The DNR also reminds people to wear bright or blaze-orange clothing outdoors because the antlerless gun deer hunt runs through Sunday.

Snowmobile trails generally need about 6 inches of compacted snow to serve as a base. While more than 6 inches fell in Marathon and Lincoln counties, it won’t be enough for groomers to prepare the trails, especially when other factors, such as unfrozen lakes and streams, hunters and farmers’ crops, will keep the trails closed.

“I’m pretty excited,” said Andy Johnson of Eau Claire. “If it’s going to be cold, we might as well have snow.”

Snowmobilers are getting excited about all this snow too. After all, their season technically started back on December 1. The problem is that snowmobile trails tend to go through a lot of farmland where a lot of corn has yet to be harvested.

“We’re marking trails now as best we can, until we hit a cornfield, then we gotta stop,” said Eau Claire County Snowmobile Association President Jerry Vetterkind.

It means the only snowmobiling he will be doing for a while is around his backyard.

Vetterkind says he’s talked to farmers, and found that the cold weather won’t affect corn drying even though the snow might.

He also says being a good neighbor means letting farmers get their work done.

“We still gotta respect their property too that we can’t go through their cornfields until they got em’ picked, and they’re hurrying up because they don’t want to be in the snow drifts as anybody else.”

Vetterkind says when that will be is anybody’s guess.

“When it’s time to go, we’ll be ready,” he said.

For now it will be other people taking center stage on a new blanket of snow.

“I’ve got a couple small children so playing out in the snow will be fun,” Johnson said.

That is, until snowmobilers can reap the benefits of the hard work of volunteers and farmers,and the snow they’ll find right outside.