One Quebec teenager is dead and another is in critical condition after two accidents involving all-terrain vehicles this weekend.
Police say a 17-year-old man was driving an ATV Sunday evening near Rose Marie St. and Gouin Blvd. West in Pierrefonds when the vehicle flipped on top of him, leaving him seriously injured, and with his life is danger.
A 15-year-old passenger was unhurt.
"Both of them were not wearing their helmets at the time of this accident," said Montreal police Const. Anie Lemieux.
Quebec law requires helmets for all ATV drivers and passengers. The minimum driving age in Quebec is 16, but no one under age 18 is permitted to ride with a passenger.
Fatal accident
The accident took place the same weekend a 16-year-old girl was killed during an ATV competition in Ste. Sophie de Levrad, 60 kilometres northeast of Trois Rivieres.
Trauma expert Debbie Friedman said the increased popularity of ATV driving has led to an increase in serious accidents.
"There is a significant aount of risk involved in doing this activity," she said. "Things like severe brain injury. spinal chord trauma, multiple fractures to the upper and lower extremities, abdominal trauma and even dental and facial injuries."
ATVs can easily flip on tricky terrain, and adding passengers can make it harder to maintain balance, a W5 report shows.
