DAYTON – A 22-year-old Kennebunk man died at 5:20 p.m. Tuesday in a single-sled snowmobile accident in the community near Biddeford, according to the Maine Warden Service.

Mark Lank was traveling on a trail near the Buzzell Road when he missed a turn, hit a ditch, and was thrown into the air, landing in a field about 47 feet away from his snowmobile, according to Warden Eric Blanchard. Though he was wearing a helmet, Lank experienced head trauma from the impact.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Lank celebrated his 22nd birthday on Jan. 22.

A friend traveling on a separate snowmobile behind Lank told investigators that speed was a factor, Blanchard said.

The accident remains under investigation. It is not known whether alcohol was a contributing factor.

Lank’s death is the third snowmobile-related fatality this year. He is the second accident victim from Kennebunk. On Jan. 4, a 23-year-old Kennebunk man died after hitting a gate post on a shared trail in Sanford while riding with a couple of childhood friends.

On Friday, Feb. 1, a 17-year-old Atkinson boy was reported missing while en route to a friend’s house to spend the night. Low visibility from a winter storm caused the boy to become lost and he fell through thin ice on Sebec Lake and drowned. He was found Saturday morning.