A 26-year-old man is dead following an ATV accident Saturday afternoon in southeast Edmonton.
Edmonton police received a report of a single vehicle accident involving an ATV about 2:15 p.m. in an industrial area near 70th Avenue and 18th Street, according to a news release.
Police said the rider of the ATV was pronounced dead at the scene.
The release stated it is not known whether drugs or alcohol were a factor. The EPS Major Collision Investigation Section is investigating.
Leading in to the long weekend, Alberta Health Services urged Albertans to be safe while riding all-terrain vehicles. It recommends riders get formal training on ATV operations, be aware of hazards and wear a CSA-compliant helmet.
In Alberta, helmets are required for everyone riding off-highway vehicles — which include ATVs, snowmobiles, dirt bikes and four-wheel drive vehicles — on public land. Helmets are not required on private property, while performing farm work or on First Nations.
“ATVs pose a significant risk to all users and particularly children younger than 16 years of age who have not yet developed the strength, skills or judgment needed to operate an ATV,” said a news release from AHS.
Between April and June 21, 20 children were seen in Alberta’s two pediatric emergency departments due to ATV-related injuries.
Between 2002 and 2013, there were an average of 19 deaths from off-highway vehicles in Alberta each year, and 77 per cent of serious head injuries were due to not wearing a helmet, according to Alberta Transportation.