Chilling story that reminds all of us to wear a vest

Louie. I am the guy from Backcountryrebels.com that you are talking about. THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS. I'd like to add some information about Steve's story so people do not get the wrong or misguided information. The day was January 17th 2014. Our group consisted of four people, Steve Reis, Jerry, Ken and myself. We left Steve's house at 9:00 AM after breakfast. We were headed west, the sun was at our backs and there was a light wind from the north causing some blowing and drifting. We travelled about 5 miles on the Soo line trial in Isle MN (central Minnesota). We were on the railroad grade that had been converted into a snowmobile-atv trail. The drift was about 2 feet in height and had a odd camber. We were travelling at apx 50 MPH when Steve, who was leading the group,hit the drift. The only thing we can think of is that Steve was not holding onto the bars as tight as he would have normally. This section of trail is normally flat like a road. Steve was thrown from his sled and into a clump of "scrub" trees that grow on the side of the trails. I was the first on the scene to check on Steve. I could see that he had a broken leg and was slumped over some the brush. I jumped in the ditch to keep Steve from falling further off the trail or injuring his leg even more. I found his gloves as they had fallen off from the force of the hit. Jerry and Ken figured out where we were and called for emergency services. I stayed with Steve until the end. I watched as the light left his eyes and he stopped breathing. The only thing he ever said was .."I can't breathe, I can't breathe..." The emergency responders were there in less than 10 minutes (seemed like days) from the time of the accident. Steve died from the injuries sustained from the impact. Coroner said Steve would have died if the accident happened in the hospital parking lot. He hit his abdomen and chest with a force great enough to rupture the artery in his neck (curated sp). The medical examiner said if Steve was wearing some type of chest/body armor he would have lived. Steve would have had a limp from the broken leg and the broken wrist, but he'd still be here today. Humans are reactive, not proactive. I never wore a vest, now I won't ride with out one. My son (19 yrs old) said his is like being hugged. We buy things to make the sleds handle better accelerate faster and turn sharper. Then when we ride these hopped up machines, we are sometimes thrown from them. Well, where do you need to be on Monday? Home, work, kids school function or would you rather be in the hospital or worse yet, the morgue!!!!. Steve Reis was the Hardware Hank store owner in Isle MN. He loved his family and his community. I have had the honor of riding several thousands of miles with him and we all miss him dearly. Rest in Peace Steve. Mac