16-Year-Old New Yorker Dead, Toddler Grievously Injured In Sledding Hill Accident

A 16-year-old girl met with an untimely death on Saturday, while riding down a hill in a sledding accident at the Clyde L. Burmaster Park. A toddler, who accompanied the girl, also sustained injuries after the pair struck a tree at the bottom of the hill just after 10 a.m., as per the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.

The release read: "On February 6th, 2021 at 10:14 hours, the Niagara County Sheriff's Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call reporting an accident on the sledding hill at the Clyde L. Burmaster Park in the Town of Lewiston. Responding members of the Town of Lewiston Police Department and Niagara County Sheriff's Office located and confirmed two injured parties, a sixteen-year-old female and a three-year-old male."

The two were apparently riding a sledding tube when they struck a tree at the bottom of the hill. Members of the Pekin Fire Company and Tri Community Ambulance responded to the scene to render aid. The two were then transported by ambulance to the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital in Buffalo for treatment. Subsequent to arrival at the hospital, the female was pronounced deceased due to her injuries.

The male was treated and released. The incident is under investigation by the Town of Lewiston Police Department and the Niagara County Sheriff's Office. The sledding hill at the Clyde L. Burmaster Park is closed at this time.”

The site of the accident—sledding hill— has been closed until further notice, in an attempt to conduct a deeper probe into what led to it. While sledding-based accidents have been on a steady decline in the recent past, over 220,488 patients went to U.S. emergency rooms for sledding injuries between 2008 through 2017. The data was shared by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

While the activity is termed risky, children are reportedly seven times more likely to be treated for sledding injuries than adults, as cited in the report mentioned in a New York Post report.