An incident in the Ghost Lake Reservoir area has nearby residents saying more patrols from law enforcement are needed.
Cochrane RCMP are looking for witnesses after a man was injured when his paddleboard was struck by a jet ski Saturday evening.
At 7 p.m. on Sept. 7, police were called to Ghost Lake for reports of a collision on th
Officials say a man and a young girl were riding a paddleboard when they were hit by a man on a jet ski.
The male left the scene but was later identified by witnesses and arrested.
Bradley Edward Baxandall, 31, of Cochrane, faces charges of failing to stop at the scene of a crash causing bodily harm, dangerous operation of a vessel causing bodily harm, common nuisance – causing injury and failing to provide a breath sample.
Baxandall declined to comment further when CTV News reached out to him over social media. He is expected in court on Sept. 24.
Const. Bonnie Sauve with the Cochrane RCMP says the paddle boarder sustained a” ‘rather large gash to his forehead” that required treatment in hospital and stitches.
She adds that the man will make a full recovery, but the incident could have been much worse.
“We all know alcohol and other substances can impair judgement, your reaction time, depth of perception and your surroundings can seem blurred and so on, and you’re not in your right capacity,” Sauve said.
“So you have to be very cautious that when you’re taking on that extra responsibility on a jet ski, for example, or on a boat, you can cause a lot of problems and injury, even death, to other people.”
Sauve says the RCMP is doing its best to regularly monitor the area and is committed to enforcing offences that involve those who are recklessly maneuvering their watercraft or putting others at risk.
“We’re in a position to write those tickets and charge people criminally too,” she said.
Anyone with information about the incident or may have a recording of what happened is asked to come forward and speak to Cochrane RCMP by calling 403-8
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