The month of May has been devastating for a number of families across the province, as their children are dead or severely injured after careless rides on off-road vehicles.
The latest tragedy comes after a 17-year-old boy died after being thrown from a two-seat all-terrain vehicle near Stony Plain on Monday night.
“It was described as a freak collision. The passenger was alive for a time being treated by emergency medical services, but did succumb to injuries sustained as a result of the collision,” said Cpl. Wayne Oakes of RCMP K Division.
The weekend ended in tragedy for two Fort McMurray girls, after a ride on a quad at 4 a.m. sent both to hospital in Edmonton via air ambulance with massive head trauma.
Fort McMurray RCMP believe alcohol was a factor in the accident, and say neither the 17-year-old nor 14-year-old girl wore a helmet.
Also, over the long weekend, two teens thrown from a quad after late-night joyriding near Gainford, were sent to hospital with serious injuries.
Last week near Taber, a toddler died after a quad that was jam-packed with four children and one adult flew out of control down a steep hill, where it slammed into a boulder, sending the children flying.
“Most of us choose to keep our children safe, so why would somebody endanger their child having five people on a quad when they’re designed for one person?” asked George Billings, chief instructor of ATV safety for the Alberta Safety Council.
Billings said children under 16 haven’t the co-ordination or skill to run ATVs over 90 cc. ATVs designed for adults range from 125 to 800 cc.
“An adult that allowed that to happen was not thinking straight,” he said. “Life is cruel in that when we expose our children to that type of danger.”
-victoria.handysides@metronews.ca
