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14-year-old airlifted to Calgary hospital after ATV rollover

Charlottetown native wins Western Canada air ambulance competition

Three children were injured after the ATV they were riding rolled over on Sunday afternoon southwest of Linden, Alta.

Police and EMS were called to an ATV rollover on Township Road 302 and Range Road 260, RCMP said in a release.

The quad's 14-year-old driver was seriously injured and airlifted by STARS to a Calgary hospital. The other two children suffered minor injuries.

No helmets

None of the children were wearing helmets, police said.

In Alberta, helmets are required for everyone riding off-highway vehicles — which include ATVs, snowmobiles, dirt bikes and four-wheel drive vehicles — on public land. Helmets are not required on private property, while performing farm work or on First Nations.

The fine for not wearing a helmet is $155.

Between 2002 and 2013, there were an average of 19 deaths from off-highway vehicles in Alberta each year, and 77 per cent of serious head injuries were due to not wearing a helmet, according to Alberta Transportation.

The rollover is under investigation.

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