RCMP urge caution around water after child seriously injured in East Hants ATV crash

Police in Nova Scotia are urging ATV operators to be cautious around water after a child was seriously injured in a crash in East Hants on Saturday.

According to a news release from East Hants RCMP, emergency services responded to a report of a crash on a trail near Beaver Bank Road in East Uniacke at around 3:15 p.m.

A child who was a passenger in the vehicle had life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital by ambulance, the release said.

Another passenger, a 39-year-old Truro man, was taken to hospital with minor injuries. The driver, a 36-year-old Beaver Bank man, was uninjured, according to the release.

Police said the side-by-side was crossing standing water when it crashed.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said there has been an increase in ATV crashes following the large amounts of rain the province has experienced recently.

Tremblay said ATV operators may have difficulty gauging the depth of water when rain pools or floods parts of trails.

"You might not see the bottom," he said. "You don't know if there's rocks down there. You have to approach that crossing cautiously and maybe avoid the area altogether."

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