I live in NW Iowa about 45 minutes from where this accident occured... so incredibly sad for all the families. My daughter just turned 12 -- the same age as these girls.
When I lived in Maine, the snowmobiles had trails to ride on but around here, they ride in the ditches on the sides of the roads!!! There are even little mini STOP signs and YIELD signs put up. I just hate it. What is amazing to me is how fast they go through the ditches alongside the highway and who knows what might be in that ditch?! Dead deer are pretty common, not to mention all the other things... at our own property in the country, I see snowmobilers FLYING across the front of our acreage in the ditches. I don't even want my daughter near the front when she's outside sledding on our hills. There is no way the snowmobiles could stop if she were in their way and often times you can't see their headlights until they are right there.
Yes, it is a tragedy and I feel badly for all concerned. The children were so vital and full of energy and living their rural life to the max. It is very sad.