Two teenagers are dead and six others have been hospitalized after the group entered the bobsled track at WinSport's Canada Olympic Park Saturday morning and collided with a gate.
Calgary police say emergency crews responded to Canada Olympic Park at around 1:30 a.m. following reports of injuries on the bobsled track. According to police, a group of at least eight teenagers had attempted to slide down the track using a personal sled when they crashed into a gate that separates the bobsled and luge sections near the midway point of the track.
"It's a unique area and situation here, so (emergency crews) did their best given the situation and lighting at the time what they thought initially was one person," said EMS spokesperson Adam Loria. "They found a group of male teens, in their late teens, quite injured. "
Loria says paramedic crews were able to triage and assess the situation in a timely fashion but two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
"They turned their efforts over to the six injured individuals who were subsequently all transported to local hospitals – three to Foothills Medical Centre with multiple, quite serious soft tissue injuries. However, they’re considered stable and non life threatening. The remaining three were sent to the Rockyview hospital with minor injuries."
Police have identified the victims and notified their next of kin. The names of the deceased teenagers will not be released until Sunday morning.
CPS Staff Sergeant Paul Wyatt says WinSport Canada is cooperating with the investigation and has provided surveillance footage to police. Police had been looking to speak with two teenagers believed to have fled the crash scene but, as of 11:30 a.m., Wyatt confirmed the search for potential witnesses had ended.
"Investigators are working to determine how the teens entered the property and what led up to the decision to enter the closed track," said Wyatt.
Barry Heck, President/CEO of WinSport, says today is the most tragic day in Winsport's history and the organization is working closely with the Calgary Police Service. WinSport will launch its own investigation into the matter.
“We have robust security measures throughout the park,” explained Heck. “Safety is extremely important to us, and security. We have a full time security staff that we employ. When the investigation is concluded, we’ll better understand what happened.”
WinSport officials say the sliding track, half pipe and terrain park will remain closed to the public throughout the investigation but the ski hill is operating on regular business hours.
