Snowmobiler Killed in Mishap on Wisc. Lake

A snowmobiler from Wheeling died after a Sunday night accident on Lake Geneva near Linn, Wis., about 5 miles north of the state line.

Two men were riding snowmobiles west on Lake Geneva when they drove into open water between Williams Bay and the Lake Geneva Yacht Club about 9 p.m. Sunday, Conservation Warden Juan Gomez said.

Mark Reninger, 53, of Wheeling, died at a local hospital, according to the Walworth County medical examiner's office and Joanne Haas, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.He was the sixth Wisconsin snowmobile fatality of the season, authorities said.

The other man, believed to be around the same age, was treated for hypothermia, Gomez said.

Gomez said the other man jumped from the snowmobile he was riding and managed to stay on the ice.

Neighbors described Reninger, who lived in the Arlington Club complex in the 1500 block of Camden Court, as a quiet man who liked to walk his dog, Bandit.

"He loved his little dog Bandit," said neighbor Stacey Thompson. "He was always out walking that little dog."

Thompson, 53, said that last month Reninger was walking his dog when he heard a woman crying for help. Reninger saw his downstairs neighbor's door was ajar, and went in to find her on the ground.

"He heard a woman yelling while he was walking his dog and he found her and called the paramedics," said 96-year-old neighbor Eleanor Rogers. "If it wasn't for him she would've been lying on the floor for who knows how long."

Reninger, who worked in the financial industry, enjoyed riding the snowmobile, and he used to own a motorcycle, Thompson said.

"He was a good neighbor," Thompson said.

Rogers added: "He was a nice man and very respectful. It's a sad thing. I'm stunned."

After the accident, Gomez urged snowmobilers to check conditions before every trip on the frozen water.

"It is recommended to make contact with those in the community to check current ice conditions before venturing out on the lake," Gomez said.

On Feb. 6, about a dozen vehicles parked on the frozen lake for Winterfest were damaged when the ice gave way and the vehicles partially fell through the ice. A tow company came and removed the vehicles.

The Associated Press contributed.

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