A man in a wheelchair with coiffed brown hair, dressed in a red vest had a story to tell. Years ago, Adrian Dieleman took a risk that was unnecessary and dangerous.

He now represents the SmartRisk Foundation that has steadily made its way through the province.

He had just finished his exams at the local college and decided to head off to a friend’s party. He didn’t want to drink but was pressured by his friends. One drink led to another and soon, Mr. Dieleman was drunk. But the choice he made to drive while inebriated became a life-altering decision.

The car crashed and he and his friend were thrown partially out of the passenger window.

His friend escaped with bruises, but Mr. Dieleman was not so lucky. As the car flipped, it crushed his sixth and seventh vertebrae, paralysing his arms and legs. As the days passed, walking upright was not even a concern, staying alive was.

Accidents are unpreventable and are completely unavoidable. Many of these [car] crashes aren’t.”

“One minute, I was an active 22-year-old who thought he was invincible and then, suddenly, I had a spinal cord injury.” he said.

The road to recovery was a difficult one for Mr. Dieleman, from learning the most basic functions such as dressing himself and holding a pen, he had to relearn all the physical lessons of his past.

But this story is not about Adrian Dieleman. It is about the lessons he now wishes to share with youth, to make sure his story is not repeated.

Students at Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School filed into the auditorium last Friday expecting a long lecture and a break from the rigours of class work but instead received a poignant lesson in personal safety. SmartRisk, in conjunction with the Markham Fire Department; went to the school to educate youth on issues and choices that are made outside of school, carrying consequences that could permanently affect their lives.

The presentation started out with an exciting video of extreme sports and stunts; interspersed with rock music playing in the background. As the video progressed, images of car crashes and injuries, culminating in a traumatic scene of a man in a neck brace.

“We want to get people to rethink the term ‘accident’. Accidents are unpreventable and are completely unavoidable. Many of these [car] crashes aren’t.” Mr. Dieleman said.

The statistics of youth being injured or dying are staggering, especially when many of these incidents could have easily been avoided. That is why the SmartRisk Foundation is teaming up with Mr. Dieleman and others who have been seriously injured to visit schools across the province, educating about the “Stupid Line”; the line that separates a safe risk from a stupid one, and the five key ingredients for safety: buckle up, look first, wear the gear, get trained and drive sober.

Wearing a seat-belt means a 20-per-cent decrease in the chance of being injured. Being sober means being fully aware and ready for any quick changes that come your way. Yet in the youth culture, it appears that being a risk taker is what earns respect, while being cautious and aware is seen as “uncool”.

“You’re becoming an adult and as such, you feel like you’re invincible, like nothing affects you ... you’re just living in the now.” Yat Choi, 17, said.

Mr. Dieleman said youth often fall in the same trap he did: “They think that it’s not going to happen to me, that it’s going to happen to the next guy. But it can happen to anybody.”

To most in the crowd, the presence of a person who had experiences was enough to send message pamphlets and handouts never can.

“I [learned] that it’s important not to give into peer pressure and to do what you know is right and best for you,” Sharon Lee, 17, said.

Adrian Cheung is a member of the y-team and a student at Pierre Elliot Trudeau High School in Markham. He can be reached via YRMG editor Dave Teetzel at dteetzel@yrmg.com