I had a bit of excitement yesterday that involved 2-1/2 hours in the emergency room (always fun on a Sunday evening). You see, I have
Apparently, Cam has been putting his helmet on to ride out of the driveway, then hangs it on the handlebars of his bike once he's out of sight. Yesterday, it caught up with him.
He was riding his bike with a buddy - racing and doing a few BMX tricks - and lost control of the bike at a fairly high rate of speed. He landed on his left shoulder, with his head and elbow following on the pavement. He called me on his cell phone and told me he had crashed, but he sounded OK, so I had him ride home.
He walked in the door and I could SEE an obvious and large goose egg (about 5" in diameter) on the left side of his head. His elbow was bloody and swollen and he had a nice dose of road rash on his shoulder. I was extremely concerned about the head injury, so off to the ER we went.
2-1/2 hours, several x-rays of his head and elbow later, I found out that he had gotten lucky - REALLY lucky - and managed only a mild concussion and various cuts and abrasions - nothing requiring stitches or a hospital stay. He'll be sore for quite a few days, and has lost his bike for the month of July, but other than that he is none the worse for wear.
On that note, a little Public Safety Announcement from the folks at the Mayo Clinic.
Selecting a bicycle helmet
Bicycle helmets are cooler, more comfortable and easier to adjust than ever before. There are plenty of inexpensive choices for kids and adults alike. Just remember the ground rules:
- Make sure the helmet is safe. Look for a seal of approval from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or Snell Memorial Foundation.
- Make sure it fits snugly. You shouldn't be able to move the bicycle helmet more than one inch in any direction, front to back or side to side. The sizing pads included with every bicycle helmet can help make the fit more secure. If you have long hair, consider a helmet with a ponytail port.
- Think about visibility. If the bicycle helmet straps block your vision — even a little bit — choose another helmet. Likewise, make sure motorists and other cyclists can see you. Choose a white or brightly colored helmet.
Wearing a bicycle helmet
Bike helmet worn correctly
The rules for wearing a bicycle helmet are the same for kids and adults, too. Wear the helmet flat on the top of your head. The helmet should cover the top of your forehead without tilting forward or backward.
Fasten the chin strap just below your chin. If the bicycle helmet doesn't feel snug, use the foam sizing pads that came with the helmet to get a better fit. The helmet shouldn't rock from front to back or side to side.
Avoid common bicycle helmet mistakes
Bike helmets tilted forward and backward
If the bicycle helmet is tilted forward, the back of your head is more vulnerable to the force of a crash. To keep the helmet flat on your head, tighten the chin strap. If the helmet still tips forward, you may need a smaller helmet.
A bicycle helmet that tips backward is just as problematic. When this happens, the front and side of your head are vulnerable to the force of a crash. Again, tighten the chin strap. If the helmet still tips backward, you may need a smaller helmet.
And of course, always wear a helmet each and every time you ride - ON YOUR HEAD!
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30 comments:
OUCH! I'm glad he's okay!
Holy Crap! My kids have to wear helmets, too. The son of the gym coach at one of the schools here had a son hit a curb and crash, landed on his head, and he died. Wasn't even going fast, just fell over, but hit his head in a way that killed him. And no, he didn't have a helmet on.
So very sad that these things can be easily prevented.
Remember the good old days, before helmets were even invented??
Lucky kid!
I have a bike, but no helmet. Looks like I need one. Thanks, Mom! ;)
Glad the Camster is doing okay.
I wear a helmet during sex. I banged my noggin on a head board once. Damn, it hurt. Cheers Dana!!
Leighann, me too! He had me a bit concerned last night.
Bina, it doesn't take much to be at the receiving end of a debilitating head injury.
Os, I sure do! All I had was one of those fluorescent flags attached to a long, fiberglass pole on the back of my bike!
We dealt with this with Matt over and over and over and over and...well you get the point...
"So uncool to wear a helmet" - So uncool to be dead or injured
"Did you wear a helmet when you were young?" - umm actually no, because back then we never fell off our bikes and the roads were softer and...HEY! Do as I say not as I did!
Glad Cam is OK in the long run...
A month without his bike will seem like an eternity...
Jeeze .. why don't you just wrap the kid in bubble wrap? ahahahaha
/kidding .. I'm kidding. I kid because I care.
Not too long ago a friend of my mother's was buying roller blades for her granddaughter for Christmas and I said "are you getting her the helmet, knee pads and elbow pads too?" and she looked at me and said "why does she need those things?"
I was like "Cause she's gonna fall you dummy!" haha
Glad Cam's okay. Could have been worse. Concussions aren't anything to take chances with!
Wow. I'm glad he is okay! I hope he learned his lesson. I was in the ER yesterday as well. I might have to start wearing a helmet at all times.
Glad Cam's ok. Thanks for the PSA! I'll remember that when the girls start riding. :)
Good to hear he's going to be OK. And kudos to you as a *responsible* parent for taking the bike away for a month. In my opinion, his maintaining accountability for his actions will go much farther than "positive reinforcement" in this type of situation. And I really need to get me a helmet, judging from my HNT 2 weeks ago. ;)
I'm glad he's OK, Dana. Did you snap a picture of the goose egg? Maybe if you taped it in his helmet as a reminder of what happened last time... Not to mention, I don't know if I've ever seen a ggose egg that big and was kind of curious.
Thanks for the safety reminder. We bought Noah a new bike yesterday and he's also outgrown his toddler helmet. The kid has got a good size noggin so he's been wearing my helemet, but it's a bit loose. Cam's incident has made me realize saving a few bucks is not worth the risk so I will be buying a new helmet for Noah this afternoon.
I hope Cam's not too sore over the next few days.
its the law in NYC..no helmet = citation....but people still go with out all the time....me included...once a kid who was a little learning disabled shouted at me 'wheres your helmet asshole' I still forget the helmet but I do remember the tongue lashing.
I am so glad Cam is ok. My boy falls all the time. He is 2, so no bike yet, but we joke all the time about his need for a helmet anyway. Goose eggs and concussions are quite scary things to deal with. Something my Grandma use to say about being like a bull in a china shop....yeah, he is dangerous.
On another note- I linked to you in my blog today, sadly in reference to your corn story. My outcome was what you had hoped yours would be. Maybe you need a southern boy who can appreciate proper corn-handling techniques.
RLL, get a helmet - NOW!
Matt-Man, Damn! You didn't tell me that left a mark!
Bond, well, after this he gets one more shot - then the bile goes away for the summer!
Jay, no ... the bubble wrap is for me!
Knight, you haven't posted your ER story - do tell!
FF, helmets should be required as soon as they start on trikes (IMHO)
OUCH! I am glad he wasn't more seriously hurt!
Flyinfox_SATX
Funny how I never wore a helmet, but always made sure I had my wrist guards!
Glad Cam's ok. ^_^
Wow. I'm glad he's ok. That was a lucky thing he didn't get more seriously injured. Let him heal up first and then knock his block off for it later (while he's wearing a helmet of course :P)
Glad your boy is OK.
Poor kid, a whole month without his bike. hmmmm let me see what would I have done? Ahhh Jimmys got that old bike, he'll let me use that for sure! Ha! She'll never know.
LOL Good luck!!!!!!
thank goodness he is ok. maybe you are lucky he is so hard headed.
gee when i was a kid we didn`t wear helmets and i had loads of crash`s and i turn out okay......... well i think so lol
Now on a more serous note, you should wear a helmet when riding and im`m glasd that his okayish and didn`t hurt himself too much.
Good Dr., I don't think he's calling me "responsible," however I'd like to keep him around for a bit longer so I thought I needed to make a strong point.
PP, I wish I had gotten one last night when he first walked in. Seriously, his head was lopsided.
DB, Ha! I'm with the kid ... where's your helmet asshole?? *gigglesnort*
Ambergail77, I'm so glad your corn escapades paid off for you!
Flyinfox, this one had me a bid scared!
Boo(duh), and I never wore either and broke both of my wrists in a bike crash when I was 10!
Hester, I kept explaining to him how lucky he was, as did most of the ER staff.
Micky, don't even get me thinking about that!
Karen, I never thought I would consider his hard-headedness a blessing, but in this case.
Mike, I think his pride was likely hurt more than his head, but I had my doubts there for a while!
Glad he is OK. I think he should have to wear the bike helmet the entire month of July that he lost his bike priveleges.
You bring back the memory of the one and only time my youngest son was hospitalized: a tree jumped out and clobbered him and his bike as he road by it.
I’m happy the kids—yours and mine—are OK.
Perhaps technology will someday provide a bicycle that has wheels that lock until a helmet is on the rider’s head.
Having crashed my bike countless times I am a big proponent of bike safety too. I'm glad that he will be ok, and that the pain will be a reminder for a while. Every so often you should poke him on the head and ask, "gonna wear your helmet next time?" :)
I am all over my kids about wearing their helmets, so much so that in protest sometimes they'll just walk wherever they're going. Works fine for me. Glad Cam is ok, and taking a nice photo of his injuries, especially with his face in it, will be a great reminder. Not to mention something to drag out when he starts bringing girls home to meet you!!
FMD
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