It’s been nearly two years since William Montpetit’s accident, when the 21-year-old broke his C5 and C6 vertebrae after going into a swimming pool.
Doctors tell him he’ll never be able to walk again, but he says he’s getting stronger everyday.
“Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, but you just have to go day by day,” Montpetit said.
On Sunday, Laval police said a 41-year-old man died after diving into the shallow end of a residential swimming pool.
According to the Quebec Lifesaving Society, an average of about 10 diving accidents occur in Quebec a year, resulting in either injury or death. And in most cases, the victims are men.
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A doctor at Sacré-Coeur Hospital says that although deaths don’t happen often, the injuries that can result from a bad dive are life-changing
“These patients often have spinal cord injuries, cervical spinal cord injuries, they are quadriplegic, so they are paralyzed down the neck.” Orthopedic surgeon at Sacré-Cur Hospital, Dr. Jean-Marc Mac-Theong said.
Now quadriplegic, Montpetit says he regrets diving recklessly that day, and is sad to hear that accidents are still happening.
“Just go foot first. You can have so much fun just playing, but be safe. Try to be careful and try to think before acting,” he said.
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“We ask everyone to follow our water safety tips, like never dive or evaluate how deep when you don’t know [the water] It is,” said Renald Hawkins of the Lifesaving Society of Quebec.
Hawkins recommends following simple rules such as making sure the depth of the water is twice your height. He also says never to go into above-ground pools, shallow ridges or lakes before.
“Diving is a very good sport, a very good activity, but you need to make sure that your facility is acceptable to practice this activity,” he said.
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