Tubing is arguably one of the most popular cottage activities. From the young to the not-so-young, many have enjoyed this bumpy sport. But this past week has resulted in two tubing tragedies, both involving children.

Sydney Robis, a seven-year-old from Hamilton Ontario, was a passenger in a boat that was towing three children on Chandos Lake, near Apsley, Ontario, when the metal tripod holding the tow rope collapsed.

Sydney, who was seated at the back of the boat, was struck in the head by one of the metal bars. Despite life saving measures, she died later that day in Kingston General Hospital.

The second tubing tragedy took place earlier this week on Rice Lake, Ontario, when an eight-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister were slammed into a stationary boat after their father, who was towing the pair, was forced to make a sharp turn.

The boy sustained major head injuries and is still in Toronto hospital his sister, was treated and released.

While tubing is not an inherently dangerous sport, things can still go wrong resulting in tragic consequences. Below are a few safety reminders with a special note to people (myself included) who use metal tripods. According to Sgt. Darren Little, of the Toronto police marine unit, tow bars create excessive drag and should only be used for wakeboarding or waterskiing.

Safety Reminders

• Have a spotter - someone should always be watching what’s going on behind the boat, allowing the driver to keep an eye out for other boats, swimmers or objects in the area.

• Make sure the tow line is secure and replace it if there are signs of wear and tear (I am guilty of this one).

• Beware of wakes – it’s fun to see people bounce up in the air, but what goes up must come down. Tubers can suffer back injuries especially if you cross the wake at high speeds and the tuber is stomach down.

• Drive sober – the police have stepped up their patrols and have zero tolerance for drinking and driving behind a vessel.

My heartfelt sympathies to the Robis family,

Julie

This entry was posted on Friday, August 17th, 2007 at 5:30 am and is filed under Today's News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.