12-Year-Old Girl Killed in Snowmobile Accident

A 12-year-old girl was killed in a snowmobile accident in Lisbon Falls, Maine Wednesday night. She is the fifth person to be victim of a fatal snowmobiling accident this winter in Maine.

Ashley Stone, 12, was driving a snowmobile which was attached to a sled that carried two friends, a 10-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy, according to what investigators know so far. Tracks indicate that Stone sped up along a strait area on the groomed trail, about 60 yards from a sharp turn. Her snowmobile crashed head-on into a tree and Stone was killed by the impact. Both of the boys were injured, but one was able to use a cell phone to notify his mom who raced to the scene with Stone’s mother.

Ashley Stone was driving a powerful snowmobile that can travel up to 100 miles an hour, and is designed for only one rider, said Wardens “You put three people on, even juveniles… you’re pushing the capability of the machine… cramping everyone into a confined space… takes away maneuverability of the operator,” said Col. Joel Wilkinson.