WORCESTER, Mass. - A Massachusetts woman died in a snowmobile accident over the weekend in New Hampshire.

Saturday's crash marks the third fatal accident of the year involving a Massachusetts woman snowmobiling in New Hampshire; these are joined with other recent serious, non-fatal accidents.

Dan Gould, executive director of the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association, said this many crashes is not normal.

"There have been quite a few accidents and the fatalities are really upsetting, obviously," Gould said. "Typically, this situation doesn't happen often."

While New Hampshire Fish and Game investigates all accidents, Gould said they could be caused by a number of factors. He said with a lack of snowfall, conditions this year have limited the amount of places where people can snowmobile, which leads to more traffic in smaller areas.

In general, Gould said inexperience leads to some dangerous situations while snowmobiling.

"Oftentimes when a snowmobiler has not experienced it before and they panic, they instinctually grab the handlebars tight," Gould said. "And when they do that, they pin the throttle wide open. And so, quickly, they're accelerating out of control. And it just happens all so fast. They end up in the woods and very possibly striking a stationary object like a tree or a rock.

"So, that said, these are not go-karts. People, sometimes I think they confuse them with an amusement ride, and they're far from it. They're serious machines. So, it is important to have experience."

Gould said proper safety equipment is essential. He recommends a helmet as well as a protective vest.

For those who don't have a lot of experience on a snowmobile, Gould said the best thing to do is a safety course. The New Hampshire Snowmobile Association offers online courses and New Hampshire Fish and Game offers extensive in-person safety courses.