'No other life taken': Mother leads ATV helmet drive to honour daughter's legacy
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
Marilyn Courchene’s daughter Katie Pchajek died on Sept. 1, 2021, after an ATV collision on Sagkeeng First Nation, about 120 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.
Courchene said she was driving home in her vehicle that day after picking up dinner when she passed her daughter on Highway 11.
“I don't know what prompted her to take the quad that day, but she was going down the road past the school to go see a neighbour,” Courchene recalled.
Courchene drove home, and waited for her daughter to eat dinner. When Pchajek didn’t return, Courchene called her cell phone. There was no answer.
She eventually heard from a neighbour that Pchajek had been in an accident.
Courchene drove back down the highway to find the ATV her daughter was driving stopped in the middle of the road, with Pchajek lying in the ditch.
“She had swerved to avoid hitting a dog,” Courchene recalled.
Katie Pchajek is shown in an undated image. She died Sept. 1, 2021 after falling from the ATV she was driving on Sagkeeng First Nation. (Marilyn Courchene)
She called 911, and performed CPR on her daughter until help arrived.
Pchajek was airlifted to hospital, but died soon after.
“I didn't know I was going to lose my daughter that day. I didn't know what was happening. It was trauma that affected me,” Courchene said.
Pchajek was a mother of three who subbed at the local school and owned a flourishing catering business. She loved animals, and volunteered at a local dog rescue.
“It all happened because she wasn’t wearing a helmet. This is what happens,” Courchene said.
Most young patients with ATV injuries in 2024 weren’t wearing helmets: Shared Health
A spokesperson for Shared Health tells CTV News Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre Children’s Emergency Department has already treated seven ATV injuries this year in patients between the ages of five and 17 years old.
Only two of those patients were wearing helmets, the spokesperson said.
And from 2019 to 2023, the emergency department treated over 340 children and youth with ATV injuries.
Meantime, RCMP data from 2023 shows there were five fatal collisions involving ATVs, none of which involved helmets. There were also 12 serious injury collisions that year without helmets worn.
Already this year, there have been four serious injury collisions involving ATVs – half involved helmets.
A teenager rides an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) at a cottage on Coon Lake near Lakefield, Ont., Aug. 3, 2009. (Richard Buchan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
‘The helmet is the most important thing’
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Courchene has launched a helmet drive in the hopes of supplying them to kids living on Manitoba First Nations who have financial barriers to accessing them.
“The helmets are between the range of $160 to $300," Courchene explained.
"Some parents really can’t afford them. Yes, they buy quads, but sometimes they don’t understand the safety behind that quad, that the helmet is the most important thing when you buy one.”
Anyone interested in donating can contact Courchene by email.
She has also collaborated with the local RCMP detachment and the Sagkeeng Health Centre to spread awareness about ATV safety.
“I'm hoping to at least help protect the safety of the kids, that there's no other life taken.”
Katie Pchajek is shown in an undated family portrait with two of her children. (Marilyn Courchene)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING 3 injured after man with knife enters Montreal-area Islamic cultural centre
Three men were injured after a man armed with a knife entered a Montreal-area Islamic cultural centre Friday afternoon.
Teen arrested in New Brunswick after emergency alert; 5 people in custody
A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.
Police arrest 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole Porsche and ran over its owner
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Woman nearly shut out of mother's estate sues brother in B.C. Supreme Court – and wins
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
Parents of Ontario teen sue alleged poison salesman Kenneth Law
The parents of a teenager who died after allegedly consuming the poisonous products of a Mississauga man are now suing him, as well as several doctors involved in her care.
11-year-old boy dies after subway surfing in NYC
An 11-year-old boy died Monday after subway surfing in New York City. He's the fourth person to die from subway surfing in the city this year.
'We're still pushing hard': Search for missing Manitoba boy continues, RCMP find tracks
The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.
Recall issued for 38,000 GM vehicles in Canada over software safety glitch
Transport Canada has issued a recall for 38,000 General Motors (GM) vehicles for safety risks related to a software glitch, the agency reported in a notice on Wednesday.
Top Hezbollah commander among 12 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.