(TORONTO, May 8, 2013) – Chris survived his first brush with serious injury when he drove after having had a couple of drinks and crashed his car. The crash left his childhood friend in a wheelchair but Chris escaped with just cuts and bruises. Having learned not to drink and drive, one night Chris left his car at home and was drinking heavily at a party. He accepted a ride home from a driver he wrongly thought was sober. The driver veered off the road, bounced off a house and landed against a tree. Chris was lying down in the back seat, unbuckled, and the crash left him a quadriplegic. On May 10, Chris will share his story with students at Bedford Road Collegiate as part of the No Regrets Live presentation, a program of Parachute.

No Regrets Live is an energetic and empowering presentation designed to arm high school students with the knowledge to prevent injuries with smart thinking. The show combines clips of young people having fun taking smart risks with more sober images of the results of poor choices that led to injury. The video features famous Canadians, whose lives have been affected by injury, such as George Stroumboulopoulos. The presentation includes a live talk by someone who has experienced a preventable injury, in this case Chris, or who has been deeply affected by a preventable injury. Presenters speak candidly about how injury has affected their lives, while presenting positive choices to reduce the risk of injury: Buckle Up, Look First, Wear the Gear, Get Trained and Drive Sober. The show also features a question and answer segment.

View a two-minute trailer for the show.

Parachute Canada has partnered with Saskatchewan Government Insurance to deliver life-saving programming to several schools in the area.

About Parachute

Parachute is a national, charitable organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives. Parachute officially came into being in July 2012 and unites the former organizations of Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK and ThinkFirst Canada into one leader in injury prevention. Parachute’s injury prevention programming and advocacy efforts are designed to help Canadians reduce their risks of injury while enjoying long lives lived to the fullest. For more information, visit www.parachutecanada.org.

Contact

Media are welcome to attend the show at Bedford Road Collegiate, 722 Bedford Road Saskatoon, Sask. tel (306) 683-7650, on May 10 at 11:05 a.m. and/or to speak with Chris Marks.

To arrange interviews or to attend the show, please contact:

Emily Driscoll, Coordinator, Youth Programs at 647-776-5118 or edriscoll@parachutecanada.org

Shenieka Russell-Metcalf, Youth Program Associate at 647-776-5106 or srussell-metcalf@parachutecanada.org

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