Dear Editor,

On Aug. 4, my son was involved in an ATV accident in Ile du Grand Calumet, Que. (Calumet Island). I need to send my thanks to some people who were there and to voice my opinion to some people who should have been strictly bystanders.

My son drove a three wheel . . .

ATV on a public roadway. It was not plated, nor did it have functioning brakes and he was without a helmet. I won’t even try to look for any excuses for him and I hope that the police charge my son with every possible infraction under the law. I also hope that they do the same to the owner of the ATV, obviously, he doesn’t have any respect for the highway traffic act, or to human life to allow this death trap of a vehicle to be used.

Tina Larose witnessed the incident and immediately called 911. She told me that my son went into a seizure lasting five minutes. I believe that Tina has training as a PSW. I’d like to thank her for what she did for him.

Now comes the sad part of it all. My son’s buddies and other people who stopped, moved my son. They tried to have him stand and I heard they had him sit, even with Ms. Larose insisting that they not move him.

I teach First Aid and not even one hour into my course it’s clearly understood that you never move a person unless their life is endangered or they need life-sustaining procedures to keep them from dying, for example CPR.

With clear head injuries, he should have never been moved. That act alone could have caused him permanent paralysis or worse, death. Stabilization is what you do. If you’re unsure and someone says not to do something then they are most likely right.

To those boys I say: My son, for now, is okay. Count your blessings. There’s a protection under Quebec’s civil code that states you are protected but there’s also gross negligence and that’s what you have done. The court does not expect perfection but rescuers must be sensible.

Thank you Tina and a big thank you to the fire department and paramedics.

Hawley Lepine

Calumet Island, Que.