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Jury to hear case in Mackinac Island snowmobile deaths from 2010

Posted at 8:28 AM, Dec 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-26 08:28:34-05

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (AP) — The families of two sisters whose snowmobile plunged off a cliff on Mackinac Island in 2010 will get a chance to take their case to a jury.

The Michigan Supreme Court last week turned down an appeal from Arctic Cat, the snowmobile maker, although two justices wanted to hear the case. It means a key decision by the state appeals court will stand.

Karen Schwarck and Edith Bonno died when their snowmobile went into reverse and over the West Bluff on Mackinac Island. The appeals court said there’s enough evidence to have a jury decide whether a reverse alarm on the snowmobile was defective.

Justices Brian Zahra and Stephen Markman wanted the Supreme Court to take the case. Zahra says the theory offered by relatives is “no more probable” than others.