The 48-year-old Massachusetts woman who was killed in a snowmobile crash in New Hampshire over the weekend has been identified as Westford resident Krista Bebezas.
“It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the unexpected death of our beloved Krista, a devoted mother of two beautiful girls, a loving daughter, an amazing sister, and a dear friend to so many,” her family said in a statement Sunday night.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department reported the crash, but has not released the name of the victim. Still, according to WMUR, the department confirmed Bebezas as the victim to the news station.
Conservation officers and other rescuers responded to the crash on “a remote trail” in Gorham near Pine Mountain a little after noon on Saturday, the department said previously. Bebezas’ companion was providing her with CPR when officers arrived, at which point officers joined in the effort, but she succumbed to her injuries and was declared dead at 1 p.m.
The circumstances surrounding Bebezas’ death closely match that of two other Massachusetts women who died in snowmobile crashes the state in the last two months. Gorham is located the same area of the state where the two other fatal crashes happened on Feb. 16 and Jan. 23, and where another Massachusetts woman was critically-injured in a crash on Feb. 10.
Another similarity between the crashes is that the Fish and Game Department determined that inexperience with snowmobiles was the primary factor in all four. Inexperience is the leading factor in all snowmobile crashes, and rental companies aren’t required to provide riders with training, MassLive reported previously.
Just over a week ago, 39-year-old Shawnee Hollis ― a North Brookfield mother — died after crashing a snowmobile into a tree off the side of trail she was on in Milan, New Hampshire. Similarly, in late January, 56-year-old Littleton resident Stacey McGarry died after crashing a snowmobile in nearby Berlin. Earlier this month, 41-year-old Methuen resident Eloara Machado was so severely injured in a snowmobile crash in Milan that she had to be airlifted to a hospital.
Other Massachusetts residents have been seriously injured in snowmobile crashes in other parts of New Hampshire in recent weeks. Additionally, earlier this month, a Pittsfield man was killed in a snowmobile crash in New York.
