It is doubly sad when a person dies in the service of other people, as Shriner Marvin Tarbox Jr. did Saturday during the Damariscotta Pumpkin Festival parade.

Tarbox’s go-cart flipped while traveling across a ramp attached to the top of an SUV. He was then struck by several go-carts operated by fellow Shriners from the Anah Temple in Bangor. (A group of Shriners performing the same stunt at the 2011 Yarmouth Clam Festival can be viewed on YouTube.)

The Shriners are best-known for raising money to support 22 Shriner Hospitals for Children.

Their clowns and precision go-cart brigades are a familiar sight at community festivals and parades across the state, and are particularly fascinating to young children.

Police are still having a difficult time determining exactly what went wrong Saturday, but initial reports say part of the ramp attached to the top of a moving Chevy Suburban collapsed, throwing Tarbox and several other cart operators to the pavement.

It is not certain whether a helmet would have helped, but we are certain Shiners everywhere will be reviewing their safety practices in light of the accident.

Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, Shriners should strongly consider wearing helmets, and not just for their own safety.

We have had a rash of all-terrain vehicle accidents this summer, some of them involving young people.

The earlier youngsters become accustomed to wearing helmets while participating in motorized activities such as bicycling, dirt-bike riding and snowmobiling, the more likely they are to wear them as adults.

Thousands of children each year see the Shriners perform their stunts in parades. It would send a powerful safety message if they saw their heroes wearing appropriate safety gear.