'Fate was on my side': Lacombe snowmobiler recounts his close call after hitting a wire strung across a river
It was a weekend in January 2015. Jody Blokland was snowmobiling on the Blindman River with his brother and their four kids.
“I had my son in front of me and we were just going down the river and usually when we got to a nice wide open spot I would let him run the throttle,” said Blokland.
“And we got to this wide open spot and I let him run the throttle and we were going down and all of a sudden I felt my helmet get ripped off me and I got pulled off the back of the sled,” he continued.
Blokland said that’s when they saw a wire that had been put up on the river.
“There was lots of things that fell in place that day, I think fate was on my side,” he said.
“Normally I sit up on one knee so I can look over my kids helmet so if that day I would have been sitting up on one knee that wire would have got me right across the neck and probably wouldn’t have been a good outcome.”
Memories that came flooding back after all this time when he heard a woman died after hitting a cable on that same river.
“We were just out trying to have some fun. We were on crown land, we weren’t trespassing, we were following all the rules and to have to come across something like that, like it could have been so tragic,” said Blokland.
RCMP said a 25-year-old woman from Bluffton, northwest of Red Deer, hit a long intertwined steel cable while snowmobiling on Saturday.
She was airlifted to hospital in Edmonton but died from her injuries.
“Officers are still determining the likely use for the steel cable as well as who placed it there,” an RCMP spokesperson told CTV News Edmonton in an email.
“The cable appears to have been at that location for some time and we do not feel that it was placed there with the intended purpose to cause injury to someone.”
The Alberta Snowmobile Association isn’t sure how to deal with this type of situation.
“As far as we know there isn’t legislation that permits this so this is new terrain for us,” said the association’s executive director Chris Brookes.
“We’ll continue to look towards the province to give us some guidance as to what regulations or legislation could be brought in.”
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Marek Tkach
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israel attacks Iran, Reuters sources say; drones reported over Isfahan
Israel has attacked Iran, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Iranian state media reported early on Friday that its forces had destroyed drones, days after Iran launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.