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A Bradford mom is in hospital after sustaining serious injuries from a tobogganing accident on 'Deadman's Hill' in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
After returning to Bradford from a six-year teaching contract in Africa last summer, 39-year-old Emily Grogan-Adi and husband Luke were excited to spend their first Christmas in Canada with their five-year-old daughter, Daniela, and decided to spend Boxing Day tobogganing on one of Bradford's popular snow hills, 'Deadman's Hill'.
The hill, located at Fuller Heights Park between W.H. Day and St. Jean De Brebeuf schools, is a popular spot for families to utilize in the winter months. Over the past week during the provincewide lockdown, there have been many families seen out using the hill for recreation.
It was little Daniela's first time ever experiencing snow and she was excited to go out tobogganing on the popular snow hill.
The family was having fun, sliding down the hill, until tragedy struck as Emily's toboggan started veering off track, spun backwards, striking one of the Hydro One electrical towers in the middle of the hill.
"She started off in a safe area, but the toboggan started drifting to the left," described Emily's father, John Grogan, "it had a mind of its own and getting momentum and turned backwards...and went right into the tower full force."
Emily's family immediately called 911, where she was transported to Southlake Regional Health Centre. Doctors said she had two broken ribs and was sent home. But after a few days, she was having difficulty breathing, so she called an ambulance and was taken back to Southlake where she had a CT scan.
The scan showed Emily had sustained five fractures to her vertebrae, three rib fractures, a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) with blood in the lungs. She was transferred immediately to St. Mike's Hospital's trauma unit in Toronto where she is currently awaiting a prognosis and direction for treatment.
"She's in good hands at St. Mike's," said Grogan, but added that due to not being allowed visitors in the hospital, his daughter feels alone and scared.
She is currently unable to eat or drink anything and is on morphine for the pain.
Grogan said the morphine has caused some bad side effects. On Wednesday night, Emily phoned her family in a panic thinking she was covered in ants.
"It was just terrible," he said, "she had a lot of anxiety."
Grogan is devastated about his daughter's accident and wants to use it as a reminder to others using the hill for recreation to be careful. He said he doesn't blame the town or Hydro One for the accident but would like to see bales of hay or some sort of padding put up around the towers, since many residents in lockdown are now turning to toboggans as a form of entertainment and physical activity.
"Why wouldn't they put padding around something like this to prevent some child from hitting their head on that structure?" he questioned.
"People are going to go there for recreational use...people need to have recreational, right now they need it for their mental health," he said, "What else is there to do?"
The hill is one of the most popular in the town for snow activities like tobogganing and sledding.
"They call it Deadman's Hill," explained Grogan, who wants people to be cautious when taking their kids out for a day of sledding. "There's a reason for that because there have been many injuries there."
When contacted, Hydro One says the power line corridors are essential for energizing life for customers and communities across the province; they do not own the corridor land at Fuller Heights Park and remind residents to keep safe distances away from any electrical transmission or distribution equipment.
Michael O'Hare, manager, parks and property for the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, said the town used to put hay bales around the towers to try and prevent injuries, but once someone injured themselves after running into one, they stopped.
It was determined the town could not make it safe for recreational activity and have since discouraged residents from using the hill with signs at the park noting that tobogganing is not permitted.
"We are extremely sorry to hear that a person was injured and wish her the very best for a speedy recovery," said Mayor Rob Keffer. "We understand how important it is during the provincial shutdown to be able to get outside and enjoy fresh air and exercise, but that needs to be balanced with a focus on personal safety."
The mayor says the town will take additional steps to draw attention to the need for exercising extreme caution when enjoying the hill.
Emily and her family were just starting to get their feet on the ground back in Canada. Luke recently got a job at Maple Leaf Foods in Bradford, but his benefits have not kicked in yet, and with Emily on a kindergarten teaching contract, the family will need some assistance.
Grogan says the community has been supportive of his daughter and the family during this difficult time, with many offering to make them meals, and coordinate care for when Emily returns home.
"It's wonderful. The people of Bradford are just unbelievable at helping in situations like this," said Grogan.
A Go Fund Me Page has been set up by Emily's sister, Valerie Good, to help the family pay for expenses while Emily recovers.
