Two children are dead after a side-by-side vehicle driven by a seven-year-old rolled over outside Dawson Creek, B.C.
RCMP say it happened June 4 on a rural road in the community of Pouce Coupe, near the B.C.-Alberta border.
“Five young children were in the vehicle when the driver lost control resulting in the vehicle rolling several times over a considerable distance,” RCMP said in an emailed statement.
Police said an eight-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver, a seven-year-old girl was airlifted to hospital in critical condition.
“Despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the 7-year-old girl later succumbed to her injuries in hospital,” RCMP said in a statement.
The three other occupants suffered minor injuries, police said.
New B.C. rules for off-road vehicles
Pouce Coupe Mayor Danielle Veach said the deaths are having a major impact in the community of fewer than 800 people.
“This is honestly every parent’s nightmare and just lending thoughts, lending sympathy and prayers,” she said.
Family members are asking for privacy, she said, as the community rallies around them.
“They are very well known and respected members of our community,” she said. “We support them and … our sympathies and thoughts are with them.”
RCMP referred to the vehicle as a utility terrain vehicle, also known as a side-by-side.
Provincial legislation classifies side-by-sides as an off-road vehicle, a category that also applies to snowmobiles, off-road motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, or quads.
The legislation bans any child under 16 from driving a vehicle with passengers, and requires them to meet all manufacturer height and weight requirements. The legislation also requires adult supervision.
Dawson Creek RCMP are investigating the incident.
“As a parent, I cannot fathom the unimaginable and tragic loss these families have suffered,” B.C. RCMP Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said in a written statement. “Our hearts go out to everyone who was impacted by this unthinkable event.”
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