A four-year-old girl has died following an incident at a cross-country ski club in Val-des-Monts, Quebec, where an adult fell on her while pulling her in a sled. The accident occurred on February 22, and police have described it as unintentional. Ontario's coroner is now investigating the death.
On February 22, a four-year-old girl was injured at Nakkertok, a private cross-country ski club in Val-des-Monts, north of Gatineau, Quebec. The girl was being pulled in a sled by an adult skier when the pair was descending a hill, according to MRC des Collines-de-l'Outaouais police. The adult fell on top of her, causing the injuries.
Paramedics and firefighters were performing CPR on the girl when police arrived at the scene. She was initially transported to a hospital in Wakefield, approximately nine miles away, before being transferred to the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa. Police confirmed on Monday that the girl had died from her injuries, and since the death occurred in Ontario, the province's coroner is leading the investigation.
At the time of the incident, police spokesperson Martin Fournel told Radio-Canada that no foul play was suspected and it appeared to be an accident. Authorities have not identified the girl or the adult involved, and it remains unclear if the adult was her parent or guardian. Nakkertok reopened the following day, on February 23.
This tragedy follows a similar incident about two weeks earlier, on February 11, when a 13-year-old girl died after her clothing became caught on a chairlift at the nearby Centre Vorlage resort near Wakefield. She was on a class trip and was injured while attempting to dismount. First responders performed CPR, but she succumbed to her injuries days later at CHEO. Her family issued a statement expressing devastation and gratitude for community support and heroic efforts to save her. Police spokesperson Fournel noted that investigations aim to determine exactly what happened, adding, 'All our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this moment.'
