Two children have died after an ATV drove into a pond west of Miles Road in the south end of Hamilton, Ont. Shortly after 4 p.m. on Saturday evening, Hamilton police responded to a call about a submerged ATV with children trapped inside.
According to police, a 35-year-old Hamilton man was driving through a field with his eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old son in a side-by-side ATV—a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle enclosed with a metal roll cage—when the vehicle entered a pond.
Police say the pond was nine metres deep. The vehicle quickly sank to the bottom. The man driving was able to extricate himself from the enclosed vehicle but was unable to free his daughter or son.
With the help of a nearby neighbour, the man was able to call emergency services. Hamilton Fire, EMS, and multiple police departments, including the Hamilton Police Service’s Marine Unit and the Peel Regional Police Dive Team, arrived at the scene.
The children were located and removed from the pond. After attempting life-saving measures, emergency services took the children to McMaster Children’s Hospital in critical condition. Both children died later that night in the hospital.
“We are heartbroken over this tragic incident,” wrote Hamilton Police Service superintendent Treena MacSween on Twitter. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, [and] first responders during this difficult time.”
Police are still investigating how the ATV ended up in the pond but have ruled out alcohol as a contributing factor. According to police, the number of fatal traffic accidents has now risen to 20 in Hamilton this year.
Police have asked anyone with information about the accident to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905-546-4753.
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