Quebec paramedics refused to help dying Maine man after snowmobile crash, brother says

The brother of an American tourist who died after a snowmobile crash north of Quebec City earlier this month says paramedics refused to help his brother because they didn't want to goto the scene of the accident, a wooded area three kilometres from the nearest road.

Glenn Dumont, 69, a former college football star from Maine, died March 2near the town of L'Etape,100 kilometres north of Quebec City, after his snowmobile collided with another.

Dumont's brother, Lewis Pelletier,was with him.

"I think it's absolutely terrible. They really dropped the ball," Pelletiersaid in an interview with CBC News.

Homerun0:01RAW: Paramedics refuse to help snowmobile crash victim in wooded area, brother says

American tourist Glenn Dumont died March 2 after waiting two hours to get medical attention

Paramedics refuse to help

Pelletier saidhe and his brother loved snowmobiling and had travelledto Quebec to ride trails dozens of times.

He saidthat day they were with a party of six snowmobilers.

"I was the fourth sled back. We had helmet communicators so I actually heard the collision. and then three seconds later I came on the scene," Pelletier said.

Pelletier says his brother was badly injured, unconscious but still breathing.He said other snowmobilers stopped to help, and he called 911. One of the other snowmobilers headed towards the nearest road, three kilometres away, to meet the ambulance.

"He came backwithin 15 minutes, and he said, 'The ambulance is at the end of the trail. It's three minutes away, but they refuse to come up to the scene,'" Pelletier said.

The paramedics who responded apparently said government regulations prevented them from going to the scene.

2 hours with no help

After 45 minutes, Dumont stopped breathing.Pelletier said asnowmobiler began performing CPR while another returned to the ambulance with an offer to drivethe paramedics to the scene on the back of the snowmobile.

They refused again.

Pelletier said one of the other snowmobilers was finally able to dig out a sled that had been buried in a snowbank after the crash.They strapped his brother to the sledand took him out to the ambulance, but it was too late.

It had been two hours since the crash, and Dumont waslikely alreadydead.

Quebec Health Minister Gatan Barrette said Tuesday a coroner will investigate Dumont's death.

"We all need to understand that in this province paramedics do have the possibility to provide services on snowmobile trails, but only under specific conditions where they have to make sure security is there," Barettetold reportersat the National Assembly.

"Light has to be shed on this event to see if things went according toprotocol," he continued.

Regulations 'absolutely asinine'

Quebec government regulations dictatethat ambulance technicians or paramedics can refuse to intervene if they believe taking actionmight put them in danger.

The regulations say theymay travel to a scene on a snowmobile or an ATV, but only if they have proper safety equipment such as a helmet, and that they should be accompanied by a police officer, firefighter or other designated volunteer.

It's terrible! It's not even humane.- Glenn Dumont's brother, Louis Pelletier

"I don't know of this policy.I have no idea about it. But they had people that were willing to take them there," Pelletier said.

"To be so closeandto have help right there! They were there! They were absolutely there! Why even have an ambulance, but, 'We won't do this, and we won't do that?' That is absolutely asinine, in my books," Pelletier said, his voice rising in frustration.

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Pelletier said he and his brother have visited Quebec so often for snowmobiling trips that they regularly receive tourism brochures in the mail.

"They're advertising the snowmobile industry. Little do we know that this is all they do is advertise, but if you get in trouble, you're on your own. That's terrible! It's not even humane," Pelletier said.