Posted on 01/01/2005 11:26:57 AM PST by Pharmboy
MINOT, N.D. (AP) - Thirty-six children were injured in a sledding accident during an all-night New Year's Eve party hosted by a religious organization. Three of the children were hospitalized, but all were in stable condition Saturday, hospital officials said. The others were treated and released.
Police Sgt. Winston Black said more than 100 children ages 12 to 19 attending a Youth for Christ event gathered at a high school around 4 a.m. to slide down a hill using sleds built out of cardboard boxes.
A sign posted on the hill prohibited sledding.
The children and Youth for Christ staff piled eight to 12 passengers on the sleds, then went down the hill in quick succession, Black said. "The sleds struck rocks, a light pole and each other," he said.
Black said he did not know if the organization had permission to use the hill. Police were investigating.
There was no immediate response to a call seeking comment from Youth for Christ headquarters on Saturday.
AP-ES-01-01-05 1316EST
Hello!
I'm with you, where were the adults?
4 a.m. ?
Sledding at 4AM ??
Apparently with them. 4AM? M'kay.
An all-night New Year's party prolly scheduled to keep the teeners out of trouble. Sheesh.
You learn something everyday. I didn't think there were any hills in North Dakota.
My home territory, generally. Grew up in Minneapolis. Did a lot of dark of the moon sledding, often crashed.
The cardboard box manufacturer is obviously negligent and therefore legally liable... should have known that people were going to use them a sleds and put a warning notice on the boxes. </sarcasm>
"A sign posted on the hill prohibited sledding."
Fake sleds with no steering mechanism.
What an irresponsible activity.
At least they didn't have to worry about hitting any trees.
Actually there are quite a number of hills and a mountain range in North Dakota. Minot itself sits in a valley, the north part of town rises up several hills, and the south part of town rises up several hills.
Nah, it must have been a freeway embankment or something.
This whole even was a recipe for disaster and incompetance. Sledding in cardboard boxes down a hill off limits to sledding.
I had a similar reaction when I went to Omaha for the first time. It's hilly! And I thought Nebraska was as flat as a board...
Probably, if light poles were involved. Broadway (the main artery through town) has several such embankments with street lights, as does the freeway/bypass that goes through and around town.
This kind of thing is no joke. A beautiful and promising young woman--my daughter's best friend--was killed sledding just about two years ago under similar circumstances. Sledding can get dangerous, even fatal, if the conditions aren't right. Everybody knows that you can be killed while skiing, but sledding isn't much different.
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