The Maine Warden Service has identified the woman who was killed Friday morning in a snowmobile crash on Bald Mountain Camps Trail near Rangeley.
Cpl. John MacDonald identified the victim in an email Sunday evening as 41-year-old Heather Valentine of Lewistown, Pennsylvania. Matthew Fisher, 41, also of Lewistown, was a passenger on her sled when it crashed around 11 a.m. Fisher was not injured.
Valentine and Fisher were vacationing in Rangeley last week, MacDonald said.
According to MacDonald, Valentine, who was driving the sled, failed to negotiate a turn, causing the snowmobile to roll on its side and to strike trees. Valentine died at the crash site. The couple had been riding toward Rangeley in a group with three other snowmobiles.
“Game wardens continue to investigate the incident and say speed does not appear to be a factor; however, operator inexperience may have been a contributing factor,” MacDonald said in a news release.
There was a delay in the release of Valentine’s name because wardens needed time to notify her relatives before going public with her identity.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said that six people have been killed in snowmobile crashes in Maine this winter. Game wardens are urging riders to slow down and be aware of changes in terrain as well as the proximity of other operators.
Fines will be levied on riders who are found to be operating recklessly or who are endangering others.
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