A surge in snowmobile accidents has the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) upping its patrols on trails to ensure snowmobile safety. Over the last 10 years, 158 snowmobilers have died in Ontario, according to the OPP. Thirty-six per cent of those deaths occurred on frozen lakes and rivers, while 41 per cent of them were linked to impaired driving.
“Safe and responsible snowmobiling means not going out if there is any doubt about whether it is safe to do so. This cannot be overstated where frozen waterways are involved, which are never guaranteed to be 100 per cent safe. Making smart decisions before and during your ride, such as always riding sober and drug-free, is what will get you home to your family,” said OPP deputy commissioner Rohan Thompson, in a statement.
To stay safe while snowmobiling, the OFSC advises snowmobilers to take a training course at the start of each season; always wear protective gear, such as a helmet; ride in control of the machine, and stay on official trails. According to the OFSC, 90 per cent of all incidents occur off trail.
Snowmobile incidents linked to poor ice conditions
Over the Family Day long weekend, the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment charged 10 riders with a variety of offences, including modified exhaust systems, sled registration validation, lack of Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) trail passes, and speeding. To improve trail safety, the detachment said in a statement that riders can expect to see officers monitoring trails day and night, as well as setting up R.I.D.E. programs at trailheads.
The increased presence comes in the wake of multiple snowmobile accidents that occurred between February 11 and February 18. Bracebridge OPP, with help from the emergency response team, OPP aviation, and underwater search and rescue unit, located the body of a missing snowmobiler. The 46-year-old had fallen through the ice on Go Home River, which connects to Georgian Bay.
On February 16 at around 3 p.m., the Peterborough County OPP detachment responded to a call that a snowmobiler in the township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen had hit a pressure crack (a ridge of ice that forms when the temperatures rise) and was launched nearly 10 metres. Complaining of chest pain, the snowmobiler was taken to a local hospital by helicopter and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
That same day, around 8 p.m., the North Bay OPP detachment received a report of a snowmobile going through the ice on Lake Nipissing. The machine was submerged in approximately three metres of water, but the driver was able to extricate themselves from the water. They were uninjured and returned home, where they called the OPP.
Nearly two hours later, around 9:50 p.m., the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment, along with the County of Simcoe paramedic services and Georgian Bay Township fire services, responded to a report of a head-on collision between two snowmobiles on the waterway known as Lost Channel. One of the drivers, a 52-year-old man from Erin, was declared dead soon after emergency services arrived. The second snowmobiler, a 50-year-old man from Puslinch, was found near his vehicle uninjured.
On February 17, around 4 p.m., the Renfrew County OPP detachment responded to a report of a snowmobile collision on a trail in the township of McNab/Braeside, west of Ottawa. OPP did not specify what caused the collision, but it involved a single vehicle carrying two passengers. The driver, a 29-year-old woman died at the scene, while the passenger, a 33-year-old man, was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.
That same day in North Frontenac Township, approximately 120 kilometres north of Kingston, the Frontenac OPP detachment responded to a report of a snowmobiler being ejected from their vehicle after striking a tree on a trail. The snowmobiler was airlifted to a local hospital for treatment.
Finally, OPP responded to calls on both February 17 and 18 involving snowmobiles falling through frozen waterways. On February 17, two men riding a snowmobile on Stoco Lake in Tweed went through the ice. Both men were wearing floatation devices and were safely removed from the water without injury. On February 18, a side-by-side vehicle went through the ice on the Mississippi River near Innisville, east of Perth. The driver was also safely removed from the water.
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