A 29-year-old woman is facing a number of charges after her 13-year-old daughter and six friends were involved in an off-road vehicle crash earlier this month, Manitoba RCMP said.
According to the Pembina Valley detachment, the girls — all 13 and under — were riding together on the off-road vehicle when it lost control and rolled into the ditch.
The riders were all thrown from the vehicle, resulting in one 13-year-old being taken to Winnipeg with serious injuries and another being treated for minor injuries.
Police said none of the girls were wearing helmets or other safety gear.
“We take these incidents extremely seriously,” said Pembina Valley area commander Staff Sgt. Brent Mattice.
“This could easily have been a much more tragic outcome. These machines are not for unsupervised children. They are not a toy.
“A fun ride can go bad quickly, as was the case here. The laws are there to keep people safe, and we are enforcing them.”
The mother has been charged with permitting an unsupervised person under 14 to operate an off-road vehicle, having more passengers than allowed on the vehicle, and permitting an unregistered off-road vehicle to be operated.