Published: June 25, 2008 11:49 am      

Summer safety: Prime time for injuries

Travis Spaugy never considered wearing a helmet while skateboarding.

“I thought of using elbow pads because I always smack my elbows – but scar tissue works,” Spaugy said with a grin at Johnstown’s Fairfield Avenue skate park.

The Dorothy Avenue teen and his friends Brandon Bloom and Ron Allison may not worry about getting hurt, but experts say increased participation in risky activities keeps emergency rooms busy this time of year.







“We see an increase in the number of patients in the summer just because kids are outside,” said Dr. Barbara Gaines, director of the Benedum Pediatric Trauma Program at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

“There are more opportunities for kids to get injured,” she said.

For children, bicycle injuries are one of the leading causes of injuries treated in hospital emergency departments.

Then comes sports injuries, all-terrain vehicle crashes, near-drownings and falls, said Dr. Louis Alarcon, medical director of trauma at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh.

And summertime injuries aren’t limited to children. Adults who were couch potatoes all winter suddenly jump into a major landscaping project or join a backyard football game.

“We see a lot of injuries from people just horsing around,” said Dr. Daniel Wehner, chairman of emergency medicine at Memorial Medical Center.

Home-improvement projects may be the biggest culprit. After vehicle wrecks, falls are the leading cause of summertime injuries for adults, Alarcon said.

“In summer you are more likely to engage in do-it-yourself projects,” Alarcon said. “Ladder safety is a key area.”

Each year, ladder injuries account for 164,000 emergency room visits in the United States, the Consumer Products Safety Commission reports.

Ladders should be placed on firm, level ground or braced, for instance. Users should not exceed the ladder’s weight limit – including load – and they should not stand on the top three steps. Metal ladders should not be used near electricity.

Parents and teachers are key to preventing injuries in children, said Dr. Matthew Masiello, vice president for community health at Memorial Medical Center.

He stressed the “Three Es” of environment, education and equipment.

“If we have a skateboard park, we need to not only have a location, but it’s our responsibility to make sure are kids are getting a safe environment,” Masiello said.

A park should, at least, have signs requiring helmets and proper clothes, and someone to informally monitor park users.

“In sports, coaches need to make sure everyone is wearing the right protection and getting adequate hydration,” Masiello said. Development of strong fundamentals also helps to protect players, he added.

Trampoline injuries also are on the rise.

“They are very popular, and they are a lot of fun,” Wehner said. “But you need to have protective nets on the sides, and you need to use common sense.”

Most injuries are the result of falls or being hit by another person jumping at the same time.

Finally, hot summer weather can lead to complications for those with pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, Wehner said.

“We think of heat exhaustion as only happening in athletes and construction workers, but people who often get heat exhausting are the elderly,” Wehner said. “High blood pressure medicine, diabetes and many pharmaceuticals can lead to dehydration faster.”

Heat exhaustion among seniors is often overlooked in its early stages because the symptoms are mild. Fatigue or a general out-of-sorts feeling may indicate dehydration. The elderly should remember to drink more water when it’s warm, even if they are on diuretics, or water pills, he said.

“As much as we like to have fun and as much as we like taking risks, we should try to do as much as we can to minimize the danger,” Wehner said.