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home / 世界杯决赛2022

injuries from atvs, cycling and other outdoor activities spike in alberta

injuries start to pick up over the victoria day weekend — bike-related ones, in particular, jumped by 75 per cent for the month of may in 2020.

by edmonton journal

may 24 2021
read time 2 minute read
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injuries from atvs, cycling and other outdoor activities spike in alberta
a cyclist races down a hill near the muttart conservatory on friday, may 21, 2021 in edmonton. greg southam / postmedia
by: lauren boothby
injuries from cycling, rollerblading, skateboarding, and using trampolines and atvs grew by about 40 per cent last summer in the province, according to the university of alberta’s injury prevention centre (ipc) in edmonton.
the centre is urging albertans to be cautious as they head outdoors over the long weekend given the spike in emergency room visits after outdoor activities between summer 2019 and summer 2020. injuries start to pick up over the victoria day weekend — bike-related ones, in particular, jumped by 75 per cent for the month of may in 2020.
ipc associate director kathy belton said it seems more albertans have been looking for ways to have fun, socialize and get active outdoors during the pandemic, but hospitals are already busy right now.
“with the hospital system being under such strain with covid, it’s very important that we don’t put any more stress on it than we need to,” belton said.
“we’re just encouraging people to take some care and caution, and always wear protective gear — helmets, knee and elbow pads and any other recommended equipment for the activity that you’re doing.”
the centre said protective gear, knowing how to operate equipment properly, and making sure children are supervised can prevent injuries. using substances while riding e-scooters, atvs and bikes also puts people at a higher risk for getting hurt and is a “recipe for disaster,” belton said.
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“we really want people to stay active and to get out and enjoy our beautiful province, but we want them to do it as safely as possible.”
dr. nori bradley, a trauma and acute care surgeon at the u of a hospital, said they see a lot of broken arms and legs from people injured on bikes and atvs. some also have bad facial injuries, traumatic brain and spine injuries, and fractured ribs.
she said about one-third of patients they see injured using e-scooters, bikes and atvs are intoxicated. many aren’t wearing helmets, and injuries can be severe.
“we have young people who have traumatic brain injuries — they may have permanent brain damage from that, they may change their personality, they may not be able to go back to work,” bradley said.
“our hospitals are busy enough right now and coming in with really severe injuries that were preventable — nobody needs that especially when they can be life-altering injuries.”
the province doesn’t have data on e-scooter injuries but recently added a new code to track them.
an average of six people die every day in alberta from injuries — the leading cause of death for people under 45. the injury prevention centre says these cost the provincial health-care system about $4.6 billion in direct and $2.4 billion in indirect expenses every year.
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lboothby@postmedia.com
@laurby

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