Keweenaw County Sheriff The Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Office uses snowmobiles like the one shown above to track down crashes like the one that occured on Jan. 2 in Keweenaw County. Sutton Beck lost control of her snowmobile and struck a tree.

A personal injury snowmobile crash that occurred on Jan. 2 has become fatal, according to a release from the Keweenaw County Sheriff’s office.

At 5:10 p.m. on Jan. 2, deputies from the Sheriff’s Office responded to the snowmobile crash on Trail No. 3, near Gratiot Lake Road, where 25-year-old Sutton Beck, from Hartford Wisconsin, was traveling southbound. She lost control of her vehicle, left the trail and struck a tree.

Beck was removed from the scene by Ahmeek Fire-Keweenaw County Off-Road Rescue, and transported to Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital by Mercy EMS. She was later transported to a hospital in Duluth, Minnesota, where she subsequently died from injuries sustained in the crash.

Keweenaw County has seen an increase in snowmobile-related injuries this year, and Sheriff Curt Pennala would like to remind riders to be cautious.

“Please ride at a safe speed and remain cautious,” he said, “especially riding (in) areas you are not familiar with.”

Neither speed or alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigator.