Quebec’s coroner is recommending improvements to off-road safety, trail markings and emergency equipment in an Outaouais park after a young girl died following an incident on a cross-country ski trail in February. The four-year-old girl was being pulled on a sled by a family member on Feb. 22 on a Nakkertok Park ski trail in Val-des-Monts when the person lost their balance and fell on her, causing a head injury. She was not wearing a helmet. The girl died at CHEO a few days later. Her death was ruled as an accident. The report released this week by coroner Francine Danais centres on the amount of time it took for first responders to arrive to provide emergency assistance to the girl after the initial 911 call was made. The first 911 call was placed at 11:19 a.m. but it took about 25 minutes for first responders to arrive to the girl. Despite a nurse being out on the trail who was able to start CPR quickly, it took another 28 minutes before the girl arrived at the ambulance, followed by another 20-minute delay to arrive at the hospital. The coroner says this meant the girl was in cardiac arrest for approximately one hour and 38 minutes before her pulse was returned in hospital, causing “cerebral anoxia and irreversible brain damage.” Issues with 911 communication, rescue equipment The report found it was difficult for the 911 dispatcher to accurately locate the caller and the initial information given to first responders was “incomplete.” No complete address for the site was visible at the entrance of the trail, on the website or trail maps, making it difficult for the caller to provide a specific location. When first responders arrived, the report found there was no trail starting at the address provided and instead needed to access the site from the parking lot. Emergency crews initially arrived in a truck, as is standard procedure, but later realized they needed the help of an ATV and needed to return to the station to retrieve it. The distance to the site was about 300 metres from point to point, but the actual distance first responders had to cover was about 800 metres, Danais writes. The coroner also noted an ATV with wheels rather than tracks was used to travel over the snow, and no ambulance sled was utilized. “However, it is impossible to determine whether an earlier arrival by emergency services could have prevented the death, although it would undoubtedly have increased the chances of survival,” Danais writes. Nakkertok Park is an outdoor ski area about 40 kilometres north of Ottawa, popular for its groomed trails for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The report notes the trails are typically not patrolled due to low visitor volume, except during major events. Coroner makes eight recommendations to park, municipality The report makes eight recommendations both to the Municipality of Val-des-Monts and the board of directors of Nakkertok Park. Among the recommendations for the municipality, the coroner recommends its rescue team completes more training and ensure its compliance with skills regarding off-road rescues. It also says to ensure that equipment necessary to conduct a rescue, specifically all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles are “available, functional and seasonally appropriate.” It also tells the municipality to ensure that an up-to-date map of the Nakkertok trails is kept in all fire service vehicles. Five of the recommendations for Nakkertok Park include improving park signage, revising the code of conduct and trail etiquette aimed at user safety and to display the full civic address of the site on the entrance sign, trail maps and its website. In addition, it says to ensure that their snowmobiles and ATVs are available when needed. The coroner says a coordination committee involving several stakeholders involved in the incident has been formed, including the first responders, police, paramedics, the park and Santé Québec with the aim of improving park safety. The report notes the municipality has already implemented several measures, including water and ice training for first responders, the development and maintenence of rescue skills for first responders, the purchase of an ambulance sled and the upgrading of certain equipment.
