Calls for ATV safety grow after 3 people, including 13-year-old, killed in recent crashes
CBC
A 13-year-old boy from Saskatoon is among three people killed in separate fatal ATV crashes in Saskatchewan and Manitoba over the weekend of June 10.
Wyatt Ewen's untimely death further accentuates the need for more safety regulations around ATVs, experts say.
Myron Skoberne, a close friend of the family, was informed about Ewen's death on June 10. Skoberne said Ewen was at his grandparents' acreage at Pike Lake, about 36 kilometres south of Saskatoon, when he went for a lap in his ATV. He was later found under the vehicle.
"He had a mark on the side of his face, which was a bruise. It was an indication that if the helmet was on, he wouldn't have had that," Skoberne said, noting the heat that day probably prompted the teen to not wear a helmet.
"I used to tell him to wear a helmet, and he used to say, 'Uncle Myron I always wear my helmet'. This was a case where he didn't wear it, but when a machine like that of hundreds of pounds lands on you, you're pretty much done."
Ewen would have turned 14 a few days later. He was about to graduate Grade 8 and from the Royal Canadian Air Cadets 574 Dakota Squadron.
"He had so much potential," Skoberne said. "It's just tragic that his life was cut so short."
Skoberne said Ewen was kind and compassionate.
"He just had that amazing smile and curiosity. He really touched a lot of people."
Skoberne said ATV drivers under 18 should seek training and not ride without parental supervision. If the latter is impossible, he suggests having a buddy system, as "seconds count with ATV crashes."
A GoFundMe campaign to cover the funeral expenses for Ewen raised $22,385.
"Wyatt was an extremely smart kid with an infectious smile. He always did for others and never expected anything in return," the family wrote in the fundraiser.
According to the data from Statistics Canada, there were an average of 167 deaths in the country per year from 2016 to 2020 where the occupant was driving a "special all-terrain or other motor vehicle designed primarily for off-road use."
According to the data from Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), 29 people were killed and 310 were injured in ATV collisions on public roads in the province from 2012 to 2021. However, a majority of ATV crashes and fatalities happen on private roads and aren't included in that data.
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