'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
Helicopter carrying Iran's president found by rescue teams: Iran official
Rescuers on Monday found a helicopter that was carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, which had crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran the day before.
Court eases internet restrictions for Sask. man who matched with a 15-year-old girl on Tinder
A Saskatchewan man who had a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder successfully appealed to shorten release conditions barring him from online dating.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
Ex-partner charged with first-degree murder after 55-year-old woman killed in Montreal
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide. The woman's ex-spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Toxic drugs circulating in northeastern Ont., police say
Canada’s largest First Nations police service, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service issued a community safety alert as extremely toxic drugs are likely circulating in many of the communities it serves.