toronto.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.1910509 If you missed the clip. See Isaac Zisckind of Diamond and Diamond on CTV talking about helmets being mandatory for skateboarders. A Toronto lawyer is calling for mandatory helmets for skateboarders following the weekend death of a Brantford teen. “Weve created laws for use of helmets on bicycles, motorcycles and snowmobiles,” Isaac Zisckind, of Diamond and Diamond Personal Injury Lawyers, said Tuesday. “This sport involves the use of high speed and risky manoeuvres, which can cause devastating injury.” Daniel Felix Kivell Friesz, a Pauline Johnson Collegiate student, died at about 10 p.m. Saturday after falling off his skateboard while going down a hill on Stanley Street, near Grey Street. He was 15. Zisckind noted that, at present, Section 104 of the Highway Traffic Act only covers the use of helmets by cyclists under 18. He said he believes the provincial government should follow the example of Nova Scotia, which made helmets mandatory for skateboarders in 2007. The lawyer said that past research shows wearing a helmet during activities, such as cycling or skateboarding, can reduce the chance of brain injury by up to 85%. One brain injury alone can cost the health-care system between $6 and $8 million, he said. Zisckind’s law firm is partnering with Brian Patterson of the Ontario Safety League in pursuing changes to the Highway Traffic Act. “Lower occurrence of brain injuries would not only help the government in reducing costs for medical care but it would also help reduce costs for claims against insurance,” Zisckind said. “There are only positives to ensuring people stay safe.” Dr. Karen Bailey, director of the pediatric trauma team at McMaster Childrens Hospital in Hamilton, said she believes the province and parents could do even more to help keep kids safe. “In Ontario, wearing helmets while cycling is only mandatory for those under 18 but in other provinces its mandatory for cyclists of all ages. So, we in Ontario are behind other provinces,” Bailey said. “Parents could also do a better job of setting an example for their children by wearing helmets while cycling. “It can be pretty tough sometimes to convince a child to wear a helmet when they see their parents cycling without one.”
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 16:27:58 +0000
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