Stay safe!

For Pete's sake, try not to get yourself killed this winter

by PATRICK LEJTENYI

There are many spectacular ways to do yourself injury in the winter months, and Quebecers are quite adept at it. Beneath the snow and the frost and the ice and the wind lurk many, many ways to do yourself serious - and permanent - damage.

According to a recent report by the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Sports and Leisure, 2,268 people died having outdoor "fun" between 1990 and 2002. Snowmobiling, by far, is the most dangerous of all. There have been so many snowmobiling deaths in those 12 years (366) that the Ministry has broken the causes down into 10 categories. Collisions are the most common: with cars (40), animals (2), buses (1), trains (5), trucks (34), other snowmobiles (28), non-specified vehicles (8) and hapless pedestrians (22). There were also a lot of drownings (61), as reckless, foolhardy and quite possibly drunk drivers speed out onto lakes and rivers that haven't frozen through enough.

Blaming the booze

But the single biggest cause of snowmobiling casualties are inanimate objects. Maddeningly, the report's figures don't go into specifics, meaning that the remaining number of snowmobiling dead (165) are placed in the category "Snowmobile only." Using one's imagination, this can mean anything from colliding into a tree and crushing the skull, falling off a speeding snowmobile and breaking a neck, getting speared on a stray pole or being decapitated by a snow-covered barbed-wire fence. The mind reels.

Émile Therrien, the director of the Canada Safety Council, says riders going off-trail is the lowest common denominator of most snowmobiling deaths. By "offtrail" Therrien means usually going onto a water surface or paved road. There, exposed, lowriding and reflector-less snowmobilers can be easy prey for large vehicles or moose.

The number one priority, he says, is to wear a helmet. Next, stay on designated trails. Third, stay sober. "I'd say 60 to 80 per cent of injuries result from the rider being drunk," he says. Also, observe the speed limit. "We advocate sane and safe riding."

Puck pain

Hockey is certainly not riskfree. Just look at jelly-brained Eric Lindros. Lynn Bookalam, head therapist at McGill's Sport Medicine Clinic, has seen so many hockey-related injuries that she believes hockey to have "some of the scariest injuries." Habs fans will be familiar with the mishaps she numbers off. "You can get pucks in the throat [Trent McLeary], you get skates that can slice arteries or veins [Donald Audette], and of course you have concussions [Richard Zednik, among others]." Torn ligaments, both in the knee and the shoulder, are also common.

The good news coming out of these gruesome examples is a growing safety awareness, at all levels, according to Bookalam. From NHL superstars to Atomlevel tykes, players know enough today not to play through a concussion's syndromes, like nausea, dizziness and headaches. "Thanks in large part to [Montreal General's] Dr. Karen Johnson, who treated Eric Lindros, kids are learning that when they have symptoms, they shouldn't participate in the sport. There's much more awareness than ever before." According to the government's report, only six people have died between 1990 and 2002 playing hockey (two others died playing street hockey). Given the sport's popularity, speed and brutality, that's not too bad.

And kids, forget Don Cherry: Dany Heatley's shattered orbital notwithstanding, visors keep pucks and sticks away. Use them.

Danger on the slopes

Skiing and snowboarding are also good ways to hurt yourself, says Therrien, and he blames the wild youth of today. "The major causes of injuries are kids racing down the hills at high speeds and out of control. Most of the people who get injured are younger - they crash into trees, or don't stay on appropriate runs or ski in bad conditions, like freezing rain." Most injuries are broken limbs and concussions, although Bookalam sees a lot of torn ligaments, especially among snowboarders. Between 1990 and 2002, 26 skiers, but only two snowboarders, have died.

Lastly, tobogganing. Again, speed, judgement and lack of proper equipment play big parts in injuries. While a stray passerby can get their head easily caved in by a flying, out of control toboggan, this is rare. The more dangerous activity is bombing down a steep, hilly slope. Don't do it, and keep away from ice that may not be as thick as it seems.

"Most safety matters come down to common sense, but common sense doesn't seem to be all that common," says Therrien.