By Sarah Stone

Sledding safety reminder needed

Jan 3, 2012 | 11:14 AM

One child remains in hospital after a serious sledding incident.

Just before 3 p.m. yesterday Parkland Ambulance paramedics responded to an accident where a child had collided with a tree while riding a toboggan.

The child was taken to Victoria Hospital with serious injuries but is currently in stable condition.

Lyle Karasiuk with Parkland Ambulance said in light of the recent accident he would like to remind the public to assess the risk and take precautions when enjoying the hill.

“Make sure the area is free of any obstruction … no rocks, no stones, no objects protruding out of the ground surface,” he said.

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“Make sure the landing area or the end where they are going to be coming to a stop is also free of any obstruction. Make sure you have a long landing area. Make sure that area isn’t going to be interrupted by traffic or vehicles parking.”

Another important issue he brought to light was the need for multi-sport helmets while tobogganing.

“You can get a concussion from any type of collision such as being on a toboggan and colliding with another sled person, another fix object such as a tree or rock,” he said.

Should an incident occur, certain steps should be taken to ensure proper treatment of those involved, Karasiuk explained.

“If at any time they complain of a head, neck, back pain or other types of injuries that would prevent you from moving them, certainly don’t move them. Dial your local emergency number and get some help for them,” he said.

One sledding precaution that may be overlooked is the type of toboggan that is being used. According to Karasiuk some have a much higher risk of injury to the rider and those around because they lack the controls to stop and steer safely.

“Many of us will go choose a toboggan, not your commercial brand but it can range from anything from a plastic carpet to a piece of cardboard to maybe even an inner tube. All of these creative devices all come with greater risk as we start to use them,” he added.

He said the sledding accident that occurred this week was the first of the season, explaining that they usually get a few incidents every winter as snowfall accumulates.

The location of this accident is still unknown but paNOW will update the information when it becomes available.

sstone@panow.com