The Town of Okotoks is reminding residents to keep safety top of mind and to stay off of the train bridge.

After reports of youth jumping off of the bridge into the river, Municipal Enforcement, RCMP, and CP Police Service are now closely monitoring the area.

Scott Roberts, protective services director with the Town of Okotoks, says the railroad tracks are private property and jumping off the bridge is illegal.

Roberts says if people are found on the property, they're subject to being charged under the Petty Trespass Act.

"Either from Canadian Pacific Railway Police, Municipal Enforcement in Okotoks, or by the RCMP, a fine could be issued to those people who go onto the bridge to jump," he says. "In the case of children who are underage, certainly that would involve a trip home with an enforcement officer to their parents at the least."

According to the World Health Organization, impact injuries are usually the result of diving accidents into particularly shallow water and hitting underwater objects, with 50 percent of the injuries occurring in the 15-24 age group.

Roberts says dry conditions have lead to low water levels in the river.

"Train time is anytime and there's not enough room for the train and a person on the bridge and that could have ultimately fatal results," he says. "The river is flowing at a much reduced rate right now given the lack of rain we've had in the last few months so the river isn't as deep, not that it being deep is any safer, but certainly with the water levels being down there's an increased chance of injury on impact."

The WHO says each year approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries are identified and treated in Canada with the average age of onset being 28.7 years and the most common age being 19 years.

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