Make your kids wear at least a helmet!!!!

[jimr]

Friday started out OK but when I got home from work and asked where the 2 older boys were momma said after school they walked down to the skate park to check it out. A buddy came over and borrowed my tiller and then the phone call came, kids called my wife and said justin needs a ride he has a bloody nose. She went and got him, brought him home cleaned him up and the nose bleed was cause by a face plant off a jump at park. He started looking funny and we decided to take him to ER. Good thing we did he ended up with 2 skull fractures concussion and a hematoma on his brain. It is devistating to see your child in the hospital and even worse when the Dr. said he shouldn't be in as good of shape as he was and he was contemplating putting him out and putting him on a respirator. They ended up life flighting him to trauma center in tulsa. and we spent the night and all day saturday in hospital 4 cat scans later we are home.
My wife went to skate park and took pictures and we are going to start a drive to mandate proper safety equipment if kids want to use park. A $20 helmet would have prevented I am sure a hundred grand medical bill. If you don't require your kids to wear a helmet please start making them they make some "cool" ones. I hope no one has to see there kid scared to death like justin was. the neurosurgen that consulted said an inch or so to the right the results would have been a lot worse poss. killing him.
How did I make it through child hood without serious injury is beyond me I did alot more stupid stuff than my kids do with no helmets pads etc.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Make your kids wear at least a helmet!!!!

Ouch! sorry to hear that Jim but your quest for mandatory helmet is going to meet some oppositions. There are lot of skate parks in the country that require safety gear. On the flip side, your kids are going to think twice before they attempt anything stupid from now on. It might be twenty years ago but I have never rode a bicycle down hill with no hand since.

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Make your kids wear at least a helmet!!!!

He is VERY lucky.
Sending prayers and good thoughts.

Brian

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Make your kids wear at least a helmet!!!!

all the parks here require equipment. but, the unmonitored parks, it is an honesty policy.

you did not say how old he is. but i bet there are a few more bumps in the future.

very glad he is doing well.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Make your kids wear at least a helmet!!!!

Ouch! sorry to hear that Jim but your quest for mandatory helmet is going to meet some oppositions. There are lot of skate parks in the country that require safety gear. On the flip side, your kids are going to think twice before they attempt anything stupid from now on. It might be twenty years ago but I have never rode a bicycle down hill with no hand since.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't give a damn. There are mandatory helmet laws in many states, including mine, for motorcycles. Yea, people are pissed but hey, you want to ride? You wear a helmet, period. If I owned a skate park I would have a mandatory rule for gear and if you didnt like it, leave, because if you didnt leave, I'd have the police escort you off the property.

A childs life isn't something to gamble with. As much as I HATE gov't intervention, sometimes people are just too stupid and NEED to be forced to protect themselves.

By the way I am NOT calling the OP stupid. I did really stupid stuff as a kid and came out unscathed sans one sprained ankle. You learn lessons as a kid and I promise you your son will NEVER have to be told to be careful again.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Make your kids wear at least a helmet!!!!

Glad your son is doing well. Please do not take this the wrong way but back in the day the parents were responsible for educating their children as to safety dos and dont's. The government had other issues to attend to. I had friends whos parents made them wear helmets while bicycling back in the late 60's early 70's. Mind you most parents back then did not, mine included. None of my nieces or nephews (ages 12 to 24)would even consider getting on a bike today without a helmet. They are the same way with seat belts in cars. I for the most part still do not wear them. Unless one of my a fore mentioned nieces or nephews is riding with me and "reminds me" to buckle up.

Again I am glad you son will be OK and agree 100 % on the helmet issue.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Make your kids wear at least a helmet!!!!

Glad that he's going to be okay!
I guess we learn from that which we live through.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Make your kids wear at least a helmet!!!!

Oh - wow - very glad your son is going to be ok. I can see how it happens, though.

My kid who is 8 still does pretty much everything we tell him - especially when it comes to safety gear. I can see though that the older kids on the street are starting to ride their bikes and boards without head gear, which in turn is going to put some peer pressure on my kid as he gets older.

Currently, we tell kids who want to hang around our place with our son that if they don't wear the gear they ain't welcome here. It's working so far but soon he will be off on his own with his buddies. Then all we can do is hope the coaching sticks.

I agree with others. I don't know how I made it through my teenage years considering all the risks I took with my friends.

 

[stubbsboogie]

Re: Make your kids wear at least a helmet!!!!

Wow!!! Glad he is alright!!

I as well have done some stupid thigs and was very lucky but I do have a story of safety gear saved my life...

I was around 13 or so riding atv's. My parents required me to wear a helmet but most of the time I would get around the corner out of site and drop it in the grass and pick itup again on the way back. So one day for some reason I decided to keep it on. Went to a place we called the dunes, just big sand hills. Anyway I tried to go up one and did not make it. 4-wheeler and I ended up flipping down the hill. compund fracture on my forearm and my hand. BUt as we flipped the final time the entire weight of the 4-wheeler came down on my head so hard that it pushed my face a couple inches into the dirt. When I got up hurting very badly and took my helmet off there was about an inch wide by a half inch deep chunk missing from the helmet where it hit me. Had I not had the helmet on it would without a doubt have killed me right then and there.

Ever since then I have been very safety concious and much more careful.
So please to all be careful out there things can happen in an instant.