Local News

Mass. woman killed in snowmobile crash in New Hampshire

New Hampshire officials responded to several snowmobile crashes Saturday, including one in Gorham that killed 48-year-old Westford resident Krista Bebezas.

February 26, 2024

2 minutes to read

A Massachusetts woman was killed in a snowmobile crash in the White Mountains Saturday, according to New Hampshire officials.

Rescue crews responded to a remote trail near Pine Mountain in Gorham shortly after noon on Feb. 24 for a snowmobiler who was unresponsive after crashing into trees, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Krista Bebezas, 48, of Westford, suffered “significant injuries” in the crash, which happened about five miles from the Randolph Fire Department, authorities said in a press release. First responders used snowmobiles and a tracked rescue vehicle to reach the scene.

Upon their arrival, rescuers found Bebezas’s riding companion performing CPR on her, NH Fish and Game said. The first responders joined in the CPR effort, but Bebezas ultimately succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead around 1 p.m.

“Although the investigation into this incident is ongoing, it is the belief of investigators that operator inexperience played a significant role in the crash,” NH Fish and Game said.

New Hampshire officials also rescued several other people following snowmobile crashes on Saturday. Shortly before 11 a.m., rescue crews pulled a 12-year-old out from underneath a snowmobile that tipped over and became lodged in a ditch in Groton, according to NH Fish and Game.

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Officials said the child, who had been driving the snowmobile on the Diamond Turn trail, was not pinned under the vehicle. In New Hampshire, 12-year-olds can drive snowmobiles on personal, private, or public property if they complete a safety course and have a licensed adult with them.

Crews also evacuated a 34-year-old passenger and brought the snowmobilers — both Franklin, New Hampshire, residents — to Speare Memorial Hospital for further care.

“Investigation of the crash shows that it did not occur at high speed and that the inexperience of the operator combined with marginal riding conditions were the main contributing factors,” NH Fish and Game said.

Soon after, first responders rescued a 20-year-old Connecticut woman who was thrown from her snowmobile on Back Lake in Pittsburg around 11:20 a.m.

Emergency crews were already stationed nearby during a sanctioned snowmobile drag racing event on Back Lake, NH Fish and Game explained. Waterbury, Connecticut, resident Giovanna Oliver was racing her sister separate from the event when she hit an uneven patch of snow and ice and was thrown from the vehicle, according to officials.

Oliver suffered unspecified injuries in the crash, and her family members brought her to Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital for further care. The snowmobile itself saw “substantial damage” after rolling several times, according to NH Fish and Game.

Authorities believe speed and inattention were leading factors in the crash.