Eight kids hospitalized at Stollery last week after ATV crashes

Eight children injured in ATV crashes have been hospitalized in Edmonton over the past week.

Alberta Health Services confirmed this week the children, ranging in ages between 3 and 17, had been sent to Stollery Children’s Hospital. Two were in intensive care. Spokesman Kerry Williamson said hospitals often see a spike in ATV injuries with the warm weather.

Pediatric emergency physician Dr. Bruce Wright, at the children’s hospital, said riding all-terrain vehicles is not recommended for anyone under the age of 16.

“They do not have the strength or the co-ordination to operate ATVS. As a result of that, we tend to see more injuries in the ridership age ranges,” he said in a video shared on social media by AHS.

Wright said even though children make up a smaller portion of riders, they can account for 35 per cent of fatalities.

“We all feel strongly that ATVS are dangerous. I will often tell families that right now, you got lucky. This injury is mild, but the potential for a serious injury can exist,” he said.

Nearly 1,500 children and youth are hurt in ATV crashes in Alberta every year and about 120 are hospitalized, according to data provided by AHS. Between 2016 and 2018, there was an average of 234 emergency department and urgent care visits per year related to ATVS.

The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends children under 16 should never ride any model of ATV, even as a passenger.