Preventive Measures to Avoid Head and Neck Injuries

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, each year almost 1.5 million people in the U.S. are treated in emergency rooms for head injuries and almost 12,000 are treated for neck fractures. Although most head injuries are minor and do not require hospitalization, severe head trauma affecting the brain can result in permanent impairment and even death. Neck injuries can also result in temporary or permanent disability, depending on the seriousness of the damage. Many injuries to the head and neck are caused by sports or other recreational activities where contact with other people or equipment is involved. However, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), these types of injuries can also result from outdoor products used on an regular basis, including playground equipment, lawn mowers, ladders, garden hoses, sprinklers and garden ornaments. Aside from sports-related injuries, the top ten causes of outdoor head injuries included:

• Ladders
• Porches, balconies or open sided floors
• Swings and swing sets
• Fences and fence posts
• Workshops (including hand and power tools and supplies)
• Playground climbing equipment and monkey bars
• Trampolines
• Slides, seesaws and teeterboards
• Other playground equipment
• Garage doors
  

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons suggest several easy ways to prevent head and neck injuries from these common causes. The association recommends that people remove debris from walkways, driveways, porches and yards, and from lawns before mowing or gardening. The AANS also advises people to store outdoor equipment and tools properly, make sure ladders are stable and secure before use and avoid using tools and equipment that are broken or not working properly. Installing outdoor handrails can prevent falls on stairs, porches and balconies, especially if children or elderly adults live in the home. Children should be kept off of playgrounds with hard surfaces and should not take part in activities that are too advanced for their age range. As a basic rule, parents or adults in charge should always supervise young children at all times to avoid potentially dangerous situations. To avoid head and neck injuries related to swimming pools, adults and children should not dive into above-ground pools or into water less than 12 feet deep. Children should also be required to wear helmets when riding a bicycle, rollerblading, skateboarding or doing some other sport on wheels. Helmets should also be worn when riding on all-terrain or other powered recreational vehicles. If you or a loved one have been seriously hurt by a delay in diagnosis or treatment of a traumatic head or neck injury, call or e-mail the brain injury attorneys in New York City at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. for your free case evaluation. We serve clients with Bronx medical malpractice, Queens medical malpractice, Brooklyn medical malpractice, Long Island medical malpractice and Manhattan medical malpractice cases.

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