RANGELEY – A first-time snowmobiler from Massachusetts crashed and died Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Tracy Atwood, 35, of Dighton, Mass., was riding around a curve on a connector trail when she was thrown into a group of maple saplings, according to Lt. Pat Dorian of the Maine Warden Service. The snowmobile’s ski apparently got caught on the edge of the trail and was pulled off the trail, he said.

Atwood was the last in line among her riding companions, who turned around when they noticed she was missing, Dorian said.

She lost consciousness after a short time, and rescue workers were unable to revive her, Dorian said. Severe trauma was the apparent cause of death, he said.

Atwood’s death is the ninth snowmobile fatality in Maine this winter.