The sister of 23-year-old Michael Kuschel sat down with NewsChannel 7 to tell the sad story of his death 12 years ago. In the early morning hours of February 17th, 1996 Michael made the decision to drink and then hit the snowmobile trails. The result – deadly.

He hit another snowmobile, flew off the trail into a tree, and died later at the hospital.

Over the past decade, his sister, Patti Stadler, says she’s seen history repeat itself way too many times. Now she hopes she can help stop other snowmobilers from making the same dangerous choices.

“It’s too late for him,” Patti said. “But maybe it’s not too late for other people.”

The family of another area snowmobiler whose in a coma right now at Aspirus Wausau Hospital is hoping for the same thing.

The family of 44-year-old Rodney Braunel says he’s in the ICU with broken ribs, collapsed lungs and head and facial injuries.

He crashed his snowmobile into a tree after a night of drinking Friday.

“We don’t know if there’s brain damage or not,” said Mike Braunel, Rodney’s brother. “We don’t know if he’s going to have to learn how to walk and talk again.”

What he does know is that no one else should go through what he and Patti’s family have.

Mike actually contacted NewsChannel 7 by posting a comment on the blog center about his brother that said “As I sat in his ICU hospital room today he lay in a coma with machines helping him stay alive. It angered me that he would put his family and friends through such a terrifying experience.”

Now he and Patti hope others will learn from their brothers’ mistakes.

"Just think what if this happens to me?” Mike said. “Who's going to be there for my wife and kids? Who's going to be the one to tell my mother they have to bury their son or daughter?”

"There's this hole right about here and you can't explain it,” Patti said. “It's like it’s empty. It's hollow. It hurts. It hurts so bad and it won't go away."