Boy hospitalized after sledding down popular Barrie hill

Boy injured in tobogganing crash There were scary moments at Barrie’s Sunnidale Park Friday

Barrie, Ont. — A boy was taken to hospital after being knocked unconscious while sliding down a tobogganing hill in Barrie Friday afternoon.

Ron Bowes was at Sunnidale Park with his two children and saw what happened on the icy hill.

"(The boy) caught some pretty good air, probably three or four feet...and landed, and was immediately unconscious," Bowes says.

Bowes says several parents, including an off-duty nurse, jumped in to help the boy before first responders arrived.

Barrie Fire helped get the boy up the icy hill. They confirm the boy lost consciousness and was taken to hospital as a precaution. There was no word on his condition Saturday night.

Bowes says the injured child and most of the other kids at the hill were not wearing a helmet. It's something he hadn't given much thought to before Friday.

"That could have been my child, right? So it egreally opened my eyes to this helmet issue," Bowes says.

Helmets are not legally required on tobogganing runs, but paramedics strongly encourage their use.

Sandra Tedford with St. John Ambulance says bike helmets won't cut it because they aren't designed for cold weather.

"Wear either a ski helmet or a hockey helmet that is CSA approved because it does protect you from any sort of head injuries," Teford says.

Helmets also need to fit right to work and must be replaced after a crash.