Gjoa Haven pedestrian medevacked after ATV collision
Driver faces Motor Vehicles Act charge; health centre services temporarily go emergency-only
A driver faces a Motor Vehicles Act charge in Gjoa Haven after a pedestrian was struck and injured by an ATV, RCMP says. (File photo by Nehaa Bimal)
A pedestrian was injured and flown out of Gjoa Haven last week after being struck by an all-terrain vehicle.
Police responded to a reported collision on June 18 at 9:39 p.m., RCMP spokesperson Sgt. George Henrie wrote in an email.
“The pedestrian sustained injuries that required a medevac,” he said. “The driver of the ATV remained on scene and cooperated with police.”
The driver was charged with careless driving, contrary to Nunavut’s Motor Vehicles Act. Henrie declined to name the driver, adding that Criminal Code charges were not laid.
On Friday, the health centre only took emergency appointments as staff managed a “critical event,” according to the Department of Health.
“To protect the privacy of both patients and staff, we cannot share any information about individuals or specific circumstances,” department spokesperson Charmaine Deogracias wrote in an email to Nunatsiaq News on Friday.
On Friday, Deogracias said the Health Department anticipated regular services and scheduled appointment would resume on Monday.
But on Monday, Deogracias did not provide an update on whether services had returned to normal.
Medevac’d.
Seeing another serious ATV accident is difficult.
Our thoughts are with the injured woman and her family, and we hope for her recovery.
At the same time, we need to acknowledge that our road conditions have become a safety concern. We’ve seen multiple accidents this spring, and the condition of many roads certainly isn’t helping. Improving and maintaining our roads should be a priority before another resident is seriously injured.
Let’s focus on preventing the next accident, not just reacting after one happens.
Driving over the speed limit on “road conditions” is blasphemy. People under 16 operating ATV’s, no helmets, no license plate and insurance shouldn’t be on the road. Careless and over speed driving has nothing to do with road conditions.
Common sense ain’t common sense unless it’s taught. This is on lazy parents. How many more under 16 driver’s will have accidents before enforcement takes place?
I guess the massive boulders in the road, washed out culverts, open trenches as well as 3 serious accidents where the hamlet dug their drain for the waterline repair have nothing to do with the problem.
How many of the last say 10 accidents have been from under 16 drivers? Also under 16 makes up half the population. Maybe the SAO should stop blaming others and take accountability for the current state of the hamlet assets and staff. Things have gone down hill the last few years.
Why are we talking about speed limits when many of our roads aren’t even in good enough condition to drive much faster than 10 km/h?
It’s no surprise the Hamlet has trouble keeping its fleet on the road when the vehicles are constantly taking a beating from rough road conditions.
We keep hearing from the Hamlet and Council about all the great things that are supposedly being accomplished, but many residents are still waiting to see those promises reflected in the basic services that affect everyday life. Maintaining roads and other essential infrastructure should be a priority before celebrating accomplishments that people can’t yet see.