jail

"No Limit Riders"

We have our own detachment of the Surete Du Quebec Police Force here in Saint Michel des Saints, and they enforce the law enthusiastically, on the road and on the trails, on behalf of the municipalities of St-Zenon and St-Michel-des-Saints.

This week, I dropped in for an unofficial chat with Corporal Benoit Bedard about snowmobiling in general, in our region.

He told me that there is some concern for the safety of our winter visitors, because of a small number of snowmobile riders who occasionally display a "no limits" attitude, acting as though they were on holiday in the wild west.

Too much fun on the trails without thought to safety, can be a dangerous thing; fun referring to excessive speed, and or use of alcohol while riding.

Speed Kills

Thibeault said that so far as he was aware, alcohol was not a factor in this accident, but that speed may have been.

This accident occurred on a lake, where riders often go much faster to learn the limits of their machine. At times, the rider can misjudge the length of the lake because of light conditions, and over shoot it. This may have been a factor as well.

What Happens if a Non Resident Gets Injured?

"If the injured party is not a Canadian resident, he must pay cash for the ambulance trip to the hospital in Joliette, $289. cnd. Then, at the hospital, he must pay cash for the
services rendered. A broken leg can cost you around $5,000.cnd. " says Thibeault.

When the person returns home, he can then try to claim these expenses back from his insurance company.

Tragic Accidents

"We have had three serious snowmobile accidents in the past few days", he explained.

In the latest event, two of our American friends got injured early in the morning of January 2nd. They were riding on Lake Kaigamac in St-Michel-des-Saints when the accident occurred.

According to ambulance driver Rolland Thibeault, they failed to negotiate a ninety degree turn at the end of the lake, and both sleds collided with an embankment on the edge of the lake.

"One rider suffered a broken femur, and the other fractured his backbone, and one of his shoulder blades". Thibeault said.

What If You Get Busted for Alcohol?

If a person is caught with an alcohol level over .08, it is a criminal offense. If the person doesn't have a Canadian address, his vehicle could be towed away and impounded.

If the person has a criminal record in his country of origin, and our arresting officers are not convinced that he will show up at his appointed court appearance, the person can be detained until the court date, which could be as much as a month away!

The bottom line? Avoid the two biggest causes of harm in the snowmobile game, speed, and alcohol. We want to see you again next year in Quebec!