Top Six Summer Dangers: ER Doctor Offers Tips for Keeping Kids Safe

As the temperatures rise, so do trips to pediatric emergency rooms. Severe cuts, broken bones and head injuries are the most common causes for trips to the emergency room during the summer, says Tony Scalzo, M.D., professor of pediatric emergency medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

“In the summer, we see a much higher incidence of injuries caused by accidents and sports,” says Scalzo, who is a SLU pediatrician at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. “Kids are going to be kids and they are going to get hurt. But many of these accidents could be prevented by proper parental supervision.”

As an emergency room doctor for nearly 30 years, there isn’t much Scalzo hasn’t seen. But these are the six most common summer dangers for kids:

1. All-Terrain Vehicles: There are two things Scalzo would like to see banned in America – ATVs and trampolines. Sure, kids have fun on these but they also cause a lot of preventable, serious injuries, he says.

While children can get hurt doing anything from climbing trees to playing on the monkey bars, Scalzo says ATVs are more likely to cause serious, life-threatening injuries. ATVs are more dangerous because they are motorized and have a lot of momentum. It’s also easy to lose control of them, which can lead to the heavy ATV falling on the driver. If you choose to let your child drive or ride on an ATV, despite the danger, it’s absolutely necessary to wear a helmet, Scalzo says.

2. Trampolines: Every summer children come in the emergency room with broken bones and serious gashes caused by falling off a trampoline or falling on the metal springs. If you decide to decide to let your children jump, though, Scalzo recommends installing the protective netting around the trampoline that will prevent the most serious accidents.

3. Bikes, Inline Skates and Skateboards: Each year, more than 580,000 bicyclists and 100,000 in-line skaters and skateboarders are injured. The majority of these accidents can be prevented with proper use of the proper safety gear. Wearing a properly-fitting helmet prevents 85 percent of head injuries, yet only 11 percent of children ages 11 to 14 wear helmets. Wrist guards, knee pads, elbow pads and shin pads are also a good idea for skaters.

Other bike safety tips include: testing the bike’s brakes, making sure tires are secured tightly and properly inflated, wearing reflective material and using a light when riding at dusk or dawn.

4. Drowning: Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death among young children and can occur in the bathtub, swimming pool, while boating or even in small amounts of water, such as in a large cooler. Children should never be left unattended near water and should always wear a life jacket when near a pool or boating.