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| Q&A: Dr David Hartman on Head Injuries (824 Posts)
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correction
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On 3/19/2009
DrDave
wrote in from
United States
(24.13.nnn.nnn)
"epidural" is between the skull and the dura, where blood can collect if a blood vessel is broken or torn. Enough blood and enough pressure on the brain and it can damage or constrict other routes of blood flow, or actually push the brain through the opening at the bottom of the skull
DrDH
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Would a helmet have saved her life?
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On 3/19/2009
DrDave
wrote in from
United States
(24.13.nnn.nnn)
Dan,
Good question. If her daath was caused from an epidural (bleeding under the dura layer of the brain) from blunt trauma, the answer is almost certainly "Yes." For example, there are typically 10-15 fatalities each year in Colorado, and only about 6 percent of the fatalities were helmeted. Overall, helmets reduced the risk of brain injury by 74%, and the risk of fatality by 80%. None of the helmeted but brain-injured skiers had intracranial hemorrhages or skull fractures...only 1 of 19 helmeted snowboarders even had a positive CT scan, compared to 25 percent of unhelmeted skiiers and boarders.
This kind of injury is probably the most common and the most easily preventable. There are less common injuries that a helmet would not likely help, for example, a twisting and "dissection" of a neck artery (the walls come apart), or a blow-out of a pre-existing arterial wall weakness. But if she was wearing a helmet, based on the initial reports, she would more than likely be alive today.
DrDave
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Richardson
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On 3/19/2009
Dan Hughes
wrote in from
United States
(98.203.nnn.nnn)
Just wondering if you are following the Richardson case and what you think? Would a helmet have saved her?
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Canadian Heads
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On 12/18/2008
Dr. Dave
wrote in from
United States
(24.13.nnn.nnn)
It seems that the Canadians don't have the same libertarian anti-helmet ethos that has significantly increased the rate of motorcyclist deaths in states that have repealed helmet laws. It's refreshing to see some skull-saving common sense about helmets.
And for those who insist on their right to injure themselves as they please; are you willing to pay the costs of hospital and nursing care if you smash your brain just enough to paralyze you or destroy your intellect?
Finally, for parents, I know it's difficult, but keeping helmets on your kids could save their lives and their futures. It's no different from that recent episode where a kid was allowed to shoot a machine gun at a gun show and killed himself. Kids' brains don't become fully wired in the judgment centers until the mid-20's, so we can't expect them to act rationally in their own interest, all the time. How would you feel if you didn't insist on your child wearing a helmet and they came back to you in a wheelchair?
DrDave
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Helmets
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On 12/16/2008
Mischo Erban
wrote in from
Canada
(75.157.nnn.nnn)
Here is something I recently watched: http://wipeout.knowledgenetwork.ca/wipeout.html
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de fense de fense
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On 11/29/2008 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(67.83.nnn.nnn)
de ny de ny,"officer this is just terrible but i didn't know he was back there,he must have been under the view of the rear view mirror"
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There ought to be a law. . . and there is
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On 11/24/2008
DrDave
wrote in from
United States
(24.13.nnn.nnn)
Hey Chris,
Just a warning. If you are the one doing the towing, there doesn't have to be a specific criminal law on the books to make you liable if you snuff a kid. You'll lose your license, maybe do jail time for reckless endangerment, and then when you get out the civil lawyers will be all over you until your only asset will be the one attached to your legs. And if you're the one who is being towed, well, there's always a Darwin Award. . .
DrD
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Stella's Helmet
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On 11/24/2008
DrDave
wrote in from
United States
(24.13.nnn.nnn)
Stella,
Look for a helmet that (1) fits comfortably (2) approved by one of the official safety agencies (3) is designed for skateboarding. That's it. And if your daughter falls in it, replace it.
DrD.
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Another law?
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On 11/24/2008
Chris
wrote in from
United States
(64.128.nnn.nnn)
How about if we make a list of all the things YOU think are stupid and then make them all felonies. Then my mom can make her list and we'll put all those people in prison too. And while we're at it, why doesn't everyone make a list and we'll illegalize everything that anyone thinks is "stupid and criminally negligent".
Well, except for me. I won't make a list and I'll be sure to ignore yours.
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Helmets for new skater
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On 11/24/2008 Stella
wrote in from
(173.67.nnn.nnn)
Hi, I am a mom who just bought a VERY used Gravity longboard for my daughter (age 16) who wants a longboard to cruise around town. She is not a skateboarder but is coordinated, etc. Not a daredevil but realized she probably needs a helmet. Any recommendations? I don't know how much she will use it or how long she will use it for. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thx.
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And one more law
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On 11/20/2008
Dr. Dave
wrote in from
United States
(24.13.nnn.nnn)
And putting a law on the driver's ed books that makes towing a child behind a car a felony might slather some smarts on individuals studying for their driving test. It's stupid and criminally negligent to tow a kid on a skateboard. Why not make it a law to be learned from the time you apply for your license?
DRD
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Laws empower the powerless (parents)
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On 11/20/2008
Dr. Dave
wrote in from
United States
(24.13.nnn.nnn)
Evan,
Laws help order the world, externally and internally. Laws give us pause when we are driving at a higher than safe rate of speed that perhaps there may be a consequence. Laws help society limit behaviors or restrict behaviors that are potentially dangerous such as giving the car keys to 9 year olds. While a law may not prevent a child from taking off a helmet, it can allow a skatepark to set a rule that can be backed up by government and prevents them from being sued for loss of freedom of expression, or whatever.
Remember, neurologically, children do not have an adult's frontal lobe development and frontal lobe development does not become complete until the mid-20's. That means children and adolescents are going to be more impulsive, less planful, and less mindful of consequence. So without an internal frontal lobe, a helmet law helps impose that form of planning from without. It makes a parent's position that much stronger and it makes a town's position that much more immune from anarchy and frivolous lawsuit. No it doesn't eliminate all danger or risk. That's why boarding is an "extreme" sport. It's dangerous; but less dangerous is better. I urge you to rethink this issue and support mandatory helmet laws.
DrDave
DrDave
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PLEASE no more laws!!
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On 10/15/2008 Evan St.Clair
wrote in from
United States
(207.59.nnn.nnn)
They’re kids and sometimes that is just how it goes. I have two kids and it would kill me to lose one of them. Kids are going to be kids and sometimes things happen. It’s all a fine line that you’re walking every time you do anything that involves you and 5000lbs SUV,concrete or getting air.
Next it will be neck braces because I can tell ALL of you that are using the big downhill helmets and Motocross or Mt. downhill helmets that your head is not meant for that kind of weight and if you take a real header, you could be facing a spinal cord injury and don’t even know it. Safety gear will not always save you. I see skaters wearing chest protectors and I’m thinking to myself, “why?” There’s not roost in skateboarding and wearing that and falling can be bad. I have seen them rip armpits open so big you could put your fist in the hole. They’re made to keep rocks from hitting you in the chest. Know your gear and use it right or you could end up worse off…. If you’re using a full face helmet you should really look into a Leatt brace. I have one and you don’t even know you have it on. I will never use a full face helmet without it.
However, I still carve it up on may skateboard from time to time with nothing and I don’t want someone telling me I have to wear safety gear. That sucks! I will put it on when
I’m doing something stupid.
It sucks and I’m sorry for the family, but you never know
what would and what would not have saved the kid’s life. You’re getting into the “post hoc, ergo propter hoc” fallacy area. I really disagree that a helmet law is a good thing. You know what you face if you hit your head on concrete. We just have to try and show kids what the right thing to do is if you’re pushing it with any sport. It’s human nature to resist when someone else tries to control you. Forcing kids to wear helmets will only make them rebel. The kids in the skatepark in Asheville are supposed to wear elbow pads and go out with tube socks with the ends cut off instead.
It may be sneaky rebellion or in your face rebellion, but they’re not going to be told what to do. You can’t keep people safe from everything. It’s not how the world works. Next you’ll just want to lock kids in closets until adulthood. I can tell you now that I don’t want to be told I have to
do anything with my skateboard. Skateboarding is freedom. Life has too many rules as it is. Don’t speed, better have your seatbelt on, pay your taxes, pay more taxes, don’t be late to work, etc. It’s skateboarding - it’s very dangerous and anyone that is afraid of getting hurt should find something else to do!
Kids get killed every day and it has to be one of the saddest things that happens. Both of my boys ride motocross and it’s very hard knowing that every time they go out on the track could be the last time they ever walk again. I’m not going to keep them from riding though because they love it. We’re getting to that bumper sticker: “If fun is outlawed, only outlaws will have fun.” You can’t be safe all of the time. People are smart enough to understand the consequences and don’t need laws to keep them safe. If you want your kids to wear helmets, fine, but don’t force it on everyone.
This is just my thoughts and I have lost friends doing what they love. One’s in a wheelchair and has said if he could walk he would do it all again. The bottom line is live every day like it’s the last one you’re ever going to see.
FYI - Some may need more than a helmet for the Dixie Cup with the new ramps we have built and I’m not kidding! More info on that as soon as I can get some photo’s up. 8” high and fast, fast, fast.
Stop typing and start doing!
Evan St.Clair
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A Life Lost
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On 10/14/2008 Cat
wrote in from
United States
(98.210.nnn.nnn)
17 years old. What a shame, he had his whole life ahead of him.
I'm sorry for what his family & friends must be going through.
I know 66 has children.
Think about losing one of your kids.
To be so trite about a teen losing his life to scitching.
It just doesn't make sense.
There was no excuse for those comments.
You really are a mean-spirited person down to the core.
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skitch or ....
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On 10/14/2008 skitch
wrote in from
United States
(68.116.nnn.nnn)
die trying.
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skitching
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On 9/27/2008 skitch
wrote in from
United States
(75.91.nnn.nnn)
we celebrate the tradition of skitching here in joja during the annual "skitchfest"
wasn't skitch hitchock the father of modern day skitching?
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just bored
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On 9/27/2008 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(67.83.nnn.nnn)
i havn't gotten past the first sentance of this post in weeks,i just reread and luckily no jail is involved.i guess the community service might be spreading the word on the evils of skitching.
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ah justice
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On 9/27/2008 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(67.83.nnn.nnn)
i guess you can't punnish both of these dummies,actually did the driver of the car force the other kid to skitch? did he tie his hand to the car? if the idea was to teach others a lesson, hidding this particular "criminal" in a jail cell may not be the best use of tax payers dollars. maybe a skateboarding cross country tour of elementry school assemblies speaking on skateboard safety.
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Skitching accident kills helmet-less skater
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On 9/7/2008 Pat Chewning
wrote in from
United States
(24.21.nnn.nnn)
Vancouver teen convicted in friend's death
by Holley Gilbert, The Oregonian
Thursday September 04, 2008, 3:12 PM
VANCOUVER -- A 17-year-old Vancouver boy was convicted today in the death last summer of a friend who fell under his sport utility vehicle and was run over.
Clark County Juvenile Court judge Judge Barbara Johnson convicted the teen of reckless endangerment, a gross misdemeanor, in the Aug. 19, 2007, death of Joseph S. Madison, 16, also of Vancouver. The Oregonian is not publishing the driver's name because he is a juvenile.
The boy's sentencing was set for Sept. 18. He could be sentenced to as many as 30 days in detention, 12 months of probation and 150 hours of community service.
Madison was not wearing a helmet when he was "skitching" -- riding his skateboard while holding onto the open rear window of his friend's SUV -- on a Salmon Creek-area street. When the SUV hit a bump, Madison fell and was run over by the vehicle's rear wheels.
Madison died of blunt head trauma, according to the Clark County Medical Examiner's office.
Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Holmes said creation of a dangerous situation was the issue at trial. In her decision, the judge said any reasonable person should have known it was risking serious harm to tow someone on a skateboard near a vehicle's rear wheels while on a city street traveling 25-30 mph, Holmes said.
Johnson acquitted the driver of carrying a person outside a vehicle, a traffic infraction.
-- Holley Gilbert; holleygilbert@news.oregonian.com
========= =====================================
Mayb e .... just maybe a helmet would have saved 2 lives here (the skitcher who died and the driver who has to live and pay for his mistake).
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sturdy helmet
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On 8/20/2008 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(71.125.nnn.nnn)
i don't know, silverfish doesn't seem to work for me,i have trouble registering ect... s i'll just spout off here as usual."increased visability that helps you avoid the accident in the first place" that's a hard case to prove, the avoiding the accident thing,how often does that really happen? i can't speak for anybody else but accidents that involve actual head contact are really rare for me,,i can count them..six, in 34 years of ramp skateboarding ,bmx,street riding ,downhill mountainbiking including a couple years of expert level racing,two of those impacts resulted in stitches (but no a concussions) because i wasn't wearing a helmet. But on each of those impacts i was glad to have a helmet that was sturdier than it really absolutely needed to be. I may not be the poster boy for helmet usage but a bit of extra peripheral visability would not have avoided any accident i was involved in. Seems to me that paragliding helmets are made made like that so your view is wider and unobstructed while not crashing,there's a joke that the helmet is wearing you for protection in skydiving that sort of works for paragliding too.
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Downhill Helmet
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On 8/17/2008
rob p
wrote in from
United States
(97.97.nnn.nnn)
There is a lot of discussion about whether paragliding helmets are safe for downhill or speed skateboarding.
Paragliding helmets are certified to European Standard E.N. 966 - HPG/UL
http://icaro2000.com/Products/Helmets/Helmets.htm
Basically the choices are,
1. Dot certified motorcycle helmet which are heavy and have poor visibility and restrict hearing.
2. Downhill mountain bike helmet are CPSC certified and have med. Weight and decent visibility.
3. Paragliding helmets which supposedly the light weight and added visibility will help to avoid an accident in the first place.
What is your opinion? Would this type of helmet be better than a DOT or Snell, CPSC cerified helmet?
Discussion on silverfishlongboarding,
http://www_silverfishlongboarding_com/forum/longboard-videos-photos/77102-picture-i-asked.html
Thanks,
Rob P
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laws for everything
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On 8/6/2008 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(67.83.nnn.nnn)
california is trying to inact restrictions on fastfood .young kids think they're immortal they dont realize the dangers of big macs so until their minds have fully developed and they can internalize the need to eat healthy we should make it illegal to eat whoppers,maybe tickets and fines would help parents keep their kids out of fastfood places......
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Helmet Laws2
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On 7/31/2008
drdave
wrote in from
United States
(24.13.nnn.nnn)
The other issue is that parents who are teaching skateboard safety need all the help they can get. Kids and teens think they are immortal, but if there is a law on the books that costs them money, arrest, etc. parents can use that as an additional reason to wear a helmet until the kids internalize the need for it.
It's important to know that human brains don't fully develop their reasoning capacity until into the early-mid 20's. So before that, we have to help kids and teens along by hook or by crook to make sure they make good judgments about skateboard safety.
drd
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Safety Laws and Safety Beliefs
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On 7/31/2008
drdave
wrote in from
United States
(24.13.nnn.nnn)
Helmets save lives whether there is a law or not. The question you have to ask yourself is: would you be so anti-government that if they made a mandatory helmet law, would you reflexively reject wearing a helmet just to "make a statement"? My take is that, like obeying traffic signals, wearing a seatbelt, etc., the laws are there for a reasonable reason. You can think of yourself as a libertarian, but why subject yourself to a known risk of injury or death? Is it more important to keep your ideology, or to save your life?
drdave
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backwards
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On 7/26/2008 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(67.83.nnn.nnn)
the law does not remove the responsibility to wear a helmet it gives it to you when you turn 18, age is actually a rather arbitrary,some people could drink alcohol responsibly at 14 other people never get it. Riding without shoes causes accidents, like not wanting to run off and hanging on hope against hope for a rolling landing. I believe in helmets,intelectually,they work,emotionally ,i don't want a cop(government) in my life for every little thing.
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