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Daughter of former Connecticut mayor killed in snowmobile crash in Maine

A Connecticut woman died after she was thrown off her snowmobile near a pond in Maine and struck several trees, authorities said.

Michelle Pavia — the daughter of former Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia, according to reports — was riding a snowmobile without a helmet late Saturday on Ironbound Pond when she drove off the ice and collided with the shoreline, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife told the Bangor Daily News.

Pavia, 43, of Stamford, struck a group of trees as she was ejected from her snowmobile. She was pronounced dead at the scene, spokesman Mark Latti told the newspaper.

Pavia was the daughter of the former Stamford mayor, NBC Connecticut reports, citing a statement from Stamford Mayor David Martin.

Michelle Pavia, who died in a snowmobile accident
Michelle PaviaFacebook

“This is a tragic loss for the Pavia family and Stamford’s community,” Martin’s statement read. “I have called Mayor Pavia to express my condolences for his family … This is a tremendous loss, and I wish the best for the Pavia family as they endure this tragedy.”

Pavia’s inexperience and speed at the time of the wreck likely contributed to the fatal crash, investigators said.

“Speed and inexperience combined can often result in crashes, and sadly they can be deadly,” Maine Warden Service Sgt. Aaron Cross said in a statement obtained by WCSH. “Operators should also wear their helmets whenever they are riding.”