A teen was flown to hospital in Calgary after hitting a car while riding a skateboard on an Okotoks road on May 11.
According to Okotoks RCMP Sgt. Ian Shardlow, at about 3:15 p.m. a youth riding a skateboard ran into the side of the vehicle at the intersection of Woodhaven Drive and Woodgate Road. He said the teen was riding the skateboard on Woodgate Road and appeared to be turning left at the intersection.
“(He was) on the road, going down Woodgate trying to turn left but he just couldn’t make it,” said Shardlow.
The youth sustained serious injuries in the incident and had to be flown to hospital in Calgary by STARS Air Ambulance.
Shardlow said police are investigating whether the driver of the vehicle would’ve been able to see the youth before he hit the car. As well, the youth did not appear to be wearing a helmet, he said.
It is illegal to ride a skateboard on a public road in Okotoks.
Shardlow said it’s too early to say whether or not charges will be laid in the case.
The intersection was closed for a short period while police investigated the incident and to allow STARS to land.
Shardlow urged to motorists to keep an eye open for pedestrians and cyclists now that the weather has warmed up.
“With the good weather, school coming to a close in another month here or so, there certainly is the potential for a lot more youths to be out on the road,” he said. “Drivers should be contentious of that.”
According to Shardlow, safety is a shared responsibility of all users of the road — pedestrians and motorists alike.
He also said anyone riding a bike on a public road needs to follow all the rules of the road, including obeying traffic signals and stop signs and riding in single file.
