Woman hit by snowmobile

Driver promised to go for help, but help never came

Maria Canton
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 10/01) - Lisette Doucet had no idea what was in store for her last Friday when she started walking to the gym for her regular morning workout.

Fact File The City has two zones that dictate snowmobile speed limits: Zone A, an off-road 30 km\h limit for heavily populated areas, such as Frame Lake. Zone B, an off-road 70 km\h limit in less populated areas, such as Long Lake. On city streets snowmobiles can travel at posted speeds up to a maximum of 45 km\h. In the 92\93 snowmobile season a pedestrian was killed by a snowmobile on Frame Lake. Municipal bylaw issues about 15 speeding tickets to snowmobilers each season. A standard snowmobile headlight throws light 100 metres.

The 19-year-old hairstylist's gait is now slowed by a limp, she's urinating blood and trying to forget about being hit from behind by a snowmobile whose driver abandoned her in the middle of Frame Lake.

"I thought I was dead. I landed face down all cramped up on the ice," the petite Doucet said Friday night.

Doucet and her friend Guylaine Gueguen were walking across Frame Lake towards downtown at 6:30 a.m. when they heard a snowmobile approaching from behind them.

"We heard it coming and we got closer together, that's what we usually do, so they don't have to dodge us," said Doucet.

"The next thing I knew the snowmobile was right behind us, we saw the headlight and it picked me up and threw me through the air."

Doucet was scooped up by the hood and windshield of the machine and flipped through the air before landing far ahead of her friend.

"I didn't want to go over to her because I thought she was dead," said Gueguen.

"I just remember her being ripped away from my side and the snowmobile rushing by me."

Gueguen said the driver did stop. He said he would go for help and then sped off on a trail towards the museum, despite the police station and hospital being nearby.

After 40 minutes the two friends agreed that help wasn't coming.

"It took us 10 minutes to get to where we were and over half an hour to get back to the Co-op gas station," said Gueguen.

They called Doucet's roommate, who rushed them to the hospital where Doucet was examined, treated, observed and released.

Neither Doucet nor the RCMP would estimate how fast the driver was travelling, but Yellowknife Municipal Enforcement, the first to respond to the accident, said speed was likely a factor.

"Something has to go seriously wrong for a snowmobile to hit a pedestrian, especially in Zone A where the speed limit is 30 km\h," said Doug Gillard, manager of Yellowknife's Municipal Enforcement.

"Probably they are speeding or not paying attention."

The city has two zones with fixed off-road speed limits for snowmobiles. RCMP are are investigating this incident.