No one can answer why a life like Garrett Mills’ was cut so short.
By all accounts he was a kind-hearted spirit who never caused any trouble. And yet, as this community knows all too well, on the afternoon of May 12, 2017, he died in a horrible incident in Napanee’s King Street Park. A moveable soccer net that should have been anchored, wasn’t. The result was a life taken way too soon.
While we’ll never know what cruel twist of fate caused it to happen, we do know that through the advocacy of his parents Dave and Gwen, the chances of it happening again have been greatly reduced.
That’s because on May 30 Garrett’s Legacy Act officially became provincial law, ensuring all moveable soccer posts are properly secured.
Making that happen required a never-ending dedication from the Mills family who twice saw the bill fall to the wayside due to an election and government prorogation. While we could harp on how ridiculous it is that the family had to go through that much red tape just to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again, we’ll save that for another day. Especially one with support from all parties regarding an issue of children’s safety. Instead we’ll focus on the positive, the fact that Hastings-Lennox and Addington MPP Ric Bresee and his staff was able to get the bill over the finish line this time around.
When speaking to the Beaver about the bill, Bresee purposely avoided the ‘A’ word: accident. Falling soccer nets have caused enough fatal and other significant injuries that they can no longer be deemed accidents knowing what it known today. Indeed, the family of a six-year-old boy from Chicago who died under similar circumstances has been tracking data. Their numbers count 41 deaths and 59 injuries from falling nets-and this was back in 2017. Those numbers have almost certainly climbed since then. Now that Garrett’s Legacy is law, there’s a good chance here in Ontario we won’t have to hear of such tragedy again. It would be even better if provinces who don’t have similar laws in place would do the same. Now is the time to do it as opposed to catching up after a loss of life.
Perhaps the beauty of a law like this is there really is no way to know how effective it turns out to be. Sure there are fines for those caught not following the rules. But ultimately the purpose isn’t to milk soccer associations or townships for money. It’s to prevent parents or guardians from having to endure the devastating loss of a child.
Perhaps the best way to track its success would be to never hear of it again.
A big thank you is deserved to the Mills family and Bresee’s staff for making this possible. Now the family can remember Garrett for Garrett.
-Adam Prudhomme