Summer: Trauma Season in the ER

Summer is a very dangerous time and lands many people in the emergency room. Here are some tips to stay safe this summer. Never leave your kids (or pets!) alone in the car. A child's body heats up five times faster than an adult's. The temperature goes up 20 degrees in the first ten minutes. Always wear a helmet. Be sure your children wear helmets when riding a bike, skateboard, scooter or roller skates. Someone needs to be the water watcher. Drowning can occur in as little as one inch of water. Drowning isn't loud and splashy. Wear an actual life jacket when boating. Water wings or inflatable tubes are not a replacement. Stay hydrated. Give your child a water bottle and be sure she drinks and refills. Screens are intended to keep bugs out, not keep bodies from falling out of windows. Lock your windows or be sure they only open four inches. All children must be inside when the lawn is being mowed. Lawnmowers shoot debris and can run over a child. They can play outside after the mowing is done. If you have a trampoline, limit jumpers to one or two at a time. If you permit two children to jump together, be sure they are about the same size. Invest in quality netting. Set trampoline rules. Never dive head first! Always jump feet first because you don't know what's just under the water's surface. Don't look at your device when crossing the street. Be sure kids know to look up at crossing places and make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street. Listen in as Jennifer Hoekstra, injury prevention coordinator, shares tips on preventing summer injuries.