Manitoba Public Insurance is urging young Manitobans to be careful when riding off-road vehicles (ORVs), after new data collected by the Crown corporation shows that 80-100 young patients involved in ORV accidents are taken to Winnipeg’s Children’s Hospital annually.
Matt Wiebe, the province’s justice minister, says young riders should always be supervised by a parent or guardian, and that ORV users — of all ages — should be wearing a helmet every time they hit the trails.
“Like many Manitobans, I am an avid ORV rider,” Wiebe said, “and part of being a responsible rider is knowing how quickly and tragically things can go wrong when these vehicles are misused.
“Our government is committed to raising awareness for ORV safety and helping to prevent tragedies, especially the loss of young lives.”
The number of kids hurt in incidents with ORVs continues to climb, according to MPI’s data, with an increasing number of young riders ending up in emergency rooms with severe and/or life-altering injuries.
According to MPI, boys between the ages of 14-16 are suffering the most severe injuries — particularly on weekends in June, July and August.
A total of 12 people have been killed in ORV-related accidents in Manitoba over the past five years, with 633 children visiting the Children’s Hospital ER in connection with these incidents since 2011.
Dr. Lynn Warda, a Winnipeg pediatric emergency physician, said Wednesday that Children’s Hospital, as the only trauma centre for children in Manitoba, sees the worst of ORV cases from across the province.
“ORV injuries are some of the most serious injuries we see. The speed and size of the vehicle leads to high impact collisions and rollovers, so the riders often have multiple injuries.
“This might include a head injury, broken bones, and lacerations, some needing surgery or admission to hospital. These injuries can lead to long-term disability when the head or spine is injured.”
Young people between 14-16 can legally ride on ORVs, MPI said, but they must be supervised and accompanied by a parent or someone else over 18. Anyone 15-and-a-half or older with a valid learner stage driver’s licence can operate an ORV without supervision, but there are some restrictions.
