IQALUIT
It has been established through crash test studies that occupants of a vehicle are unlikely to survive a frontal crash if the speed of impact is greater than 80 km/h.

Iqaluit's Sean Noble-Nowdluk brought a Kuujjuaq man to the Qikiqtani General Hospital after an accident during the Iqaluit to Kimmirut race on April 19. - photo courtesy of Sean Noble-Nowdluk

Passengers on a snowmobile – which contains neither airbags nor seatbelts – are even more vulnerable to injury when crashing at high speeds.

Therefore, it's a miracle of sorts that Edward Watkins, a Kuujjuaq resident, was standing and conscious after flipping over his snowmobile during the Iqaluit to Kimmirut race April 19.

Iqaluit resident Sean Noble-Nowdluk was the first to spot Watkins, who had left in fourth place.

Noble-Nowdluk, who left in eighth place, immediately dropped the race to assist the confused man.

"I passed two or three people and within a few minutes I was close to land on the other side of the bay. I saw a Ski-Doo flipped over and saw Edward, who was standing up, in shock. His helmet and gloves were off, so I went to him and asked if he was alright. He asked me to warm his hands up so I took my gloves off and put them on him," said Noble-Nowdluk.

Watkins was dazed from the crash, asking whether he could continue the race.

Noble-Nowdluk said Watkins' machine was "totaled," and he told the man there was no way he could keep going and that he needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible.

Pieces from the snowmobile were scattered all over the area and the machine's track was out of place.

"He tried calling his wife but I told him, 'I need to take you to the hospital,'" said Noble-Nowdluk.

"I had to convince him to get on my snowmobile and come with me. I went back to the starting line of the race but there were few people there, and I didn't bother calling an ambulance because I knew it would take time for them to get there. I knew the trail around town really well so I took him to the hospital myself."

Noble-Nowdluk said Watkins was in constant pain, complaining about injuries to his back, neck and head.

At the Qikiqtani General Hospital, doctors were worried Watkins may have fractured a vertebrae but X-rays revealed he was alright.

"He started telling me his wife's name (Jessie) and that if something happened to him I had to tell Jessie he loved her," said Noble-Nowdluk.

He added it was apparent how the accident took place.

"He was trying to pass the first-place guy and went into a snow cloud, which limited his vision," Noble-Nowdluk explained.

"He went off trail to get a better view and hit a bad bump. He landed on another bad bump which caused his machine to flip over. My average speed going across the bay was 130 km/h; he would've easily been going about 160 to 180 km/h."

Noble-Nowdluk said he never thought twice about stopping to help Watkins out.

"When I saw the damage and how far his machine had gone, I knew it was bad," he said.

Watkins was eventually medevaced to Ottawa as a precautionary measure but is already back home, recovering.