tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post8398720727421697973..comments2024-03-28T10:32:27.517+03:00Comments on Stories from the trauma bay: DangerDocBastardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12224592098492491365noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-63870613874523567022019-05-27T23:52:14.795+03:002019-05-27T23:52:14.795+03:00As late as I am, I'd like to add to the chorus...As late as I am, I'd like to add to the chorus: bicycles aren't motorbikes. If someone is pedaling at 15-20 kph (10-15 mph), they have about as much energy as if they were running. Falling at that speed is uncomfortable, but is it dangerous enough to warrant a helmet while you go running? Not particularly.<br /><br />Now, if someone is going faster than 20 kph, it's probably a good idea to put on a helmet. My rule of thumb is: street clothes and no sweat, no helmet. Lycra and sweat, strap it on. (By the way, this is the same pattern as you can see in the Netherlands or Denmark.)<br /><br />The important consideration is whether the helmet protects from the usual sources of injury. To the extent cyclists' injuries come from collisions with cars/trucks, helmets do next to nothing, because the energies are just too large, and victims mostly die from trauma to other parts of the body anyway. (There are some studies showing that wearing a helmet makes drivers pass more closely, thus *increasing* the danger.) On the other hand, to the extent injuries come from falling or riding your bike into an obstacle, i.e. from your own energy, helmets may be able to cope with the energy, and the chances of fatal wounds to other parts of the body are low.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-56814185295330888122018-05-13T03:17:39.136+03:002018-05-13T03:17:39.136+03:00Bravo, Doc. That's how you educate the young&#...Bravo, Doc. That's how you educate the young'uns. I'm sure that's at least one life you've saved right there, and hopefully his kids' lives too. If you don't make an impression on them while they're still young, it's much harder afterwards, as - unfortunately - you know full well.Peter Piersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-40147966516870172602016-11-03T19:41:49.380+02:002016-11-03T19:41:49.380+02:00You're right, I should have patted his knee an...You're right, I should have patted his knee and reassured him that he would be JUST fine, and then I should have sat next to him and told him in nice, soothing tones that he was ok. <br /><br />I'm not sure what universe you live in, but in mine that would have been the same as saying nothing at all. And no, he didn't want to die, he was riding to a friend's house. DocBastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12224592098492491365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-47091120745128500812016-11-03T17:50:51.122+02:002016-11-03T17:50:51.122+02:00or maybe he wanted to die and if you had not yelle...or maybe he wanted to die and if you had not yelled at him in front of his mom you would have learned something.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-63116843906327417482014-12-04T05:30:52.644+02:002014-12-04T05:30:52.644+02:00Rightly or wrongly, I'm pretty sure that most ...Rightly or wrongly, I'm pretty sure that most European countries wouldn't consider it anything unusual for a fifteen years old to be riding a bicycle at ten o'clock at night.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03756024795037275618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-19818149257042240552014-11-30T10:49:49.696+02:002014-11-30T10:49:49.696+02:00Now if only MORE mothers allowed (and thanked) phy...Now if only MORE mothers allowed (and thanked) physicians for their tirades, maybe some stupidity down the line would be prevented!!!Nurse Deehttp://practicalnursetorn.blogspot.ca/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-9271908558689489362014-11-27T14:13:11.756+02:002014-11-27T14:13:11.756+02:00What do you consider his most and least important ...What do you consider his most and least important errors? In my opinion, the fact that he was out on his bicycle so late was his first (and most important) mistake. Everything else is secondary. DocBastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12224592098492491365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-331669009662259402014-11-27T06:18:50.877+02:002014-11-27T06:18:50.877+02:00Helmets help when you have an accident. Lights at ...Helmets help when you have an accident. Lights at night help you avoid an accident. You emphasized the *least* important error he made and didn't mention the most important one. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-50588500757415214382014-11-25T19:01:39.366+02:002014-11-25T19:01:39.366+02:00and I saw two subtle giveaways that are directly o...and I saw two subtle giveaways that are directly opposed to each other. well played, doc.Ken Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166383392696452631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-86526100055220823142014-11-25T17:23:02.563+02:002014-11-25T17:23:02.563+02:00I saw two - you're not in the Netherlands, or ...I saw two - you're not in the Netherlands, or - judging from other response - you would not have been concerned about his lack of a helmet. <br />you're not in Brooklyn, or the mother would not have thanked you for lecturing her son instead of letting her do it.Ken Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166383392696452631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-43653167263801087852014-11-25T17:17:51.518+02:002014-11-25T17:17:51.518+02:00they don't want to wear helmets. what's s...they don't want to wear helmets. what's so hard to see about that? they also aren't helmet manufacturers, so they have nothing to gain by selling more.<br /><br />I am no more dangerous to pedestrians in my 2012 quick response truck than in my 1941 fire engine ( both district owned) because I am a good enough driver to keep both of them in my lane of travel. <br /><br />now if a pedestrian should walk into my lane - say, because he was assuming that cars magically stop for pedestrians - then his risk would be greater facing the 1941 engine, because the brakes are much older technology, and don't perform as well.<br /><br />I wear a helmet, because I remember how much not wearing a helmet hurt. I want other people to wear helmets because I don't want to get left supporting a brain damaged vegetable just because they wanted to enjoy hearing the wind whistling through the holes in their head.Ken Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166383392696452631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-81753223523690633172014-11-25T13:56:18.077+02:002014-11-25T13:56:18.077+02:00Are there? I thought there were three. Are there? I thought there were three. DocBastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12224592098492491365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-25043928947679522312014-11-25T12:58:48.646+02:002014-11-25T12:58:48.646+02:00Doc, you're getting lax! There are two locatio...Doc, you're getting lax! There are two location (country) giveaways in this post. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-59222814450196752802014-11-25T12:34:21.257+02:002014-11-25T12:34:21.257+02:00It is difficult to see what anyone has to gain by ...It is difficult to see what anyone has to gain by propaganda <i>against</i> helmets. Obviously there is plenty to gain by selling more. <br /><br />My description of that site as "literature" was obviously a little exaggerated but the results in Australia are also quite surprising. What is important is that things are not always as "obvious" as they seem and there are often unintended or unexpected consequences - people in safer cars are more dangerous to pedestrians, for example, because they feel safer and so drive more recklessly. It's anecdotal evidence that leads to things like the MMR scandal in the UK.Ugihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00453326095140897474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-67940034898721444072014-11-25T08:45:38.888+02:002014-11-25T08:45:38.888+02:00When I was 8 I hit a bump and flew over my handleb...When I was 8 I hit a bump and flew over my handlebars and hit a rock while I was biking with my dad and brothers. I was wearing a helmet and still got 26 stitches in 3 different layers and a mild concussion. My helmet was cracked about 2.5 inches up my head. Imagine if I hadn't been wearing it. SkyGuy32https://www.blogger.com/profile/06384956212943189459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-20683332199538305682014-11-25T04:10:45.243+02:002014-11-25T04:10:45.243+02:00and by "literature" you mean anti-helmet...and by "literature" you mean anti-helmet propaganda.<br /><br />helmet story number two: the mother of one of my childhood friends drifted into traffic and got clipped by a car. there were three separate circles painted on the ground labeled "helmet" - but none labeled "corpse"<br /><br />the failure rate of helmets is directly related to the rate of people not wearing them properly, either because of stupidity, or to try to make a point - which, come to think of it, also classifies as stupidity. - and it is not just learners who have a chance of falling - it is anyone who shares a road with anyone else, or goes fast enough to suffer an injury if they should run into something.Ken Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166383392696452631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-34940356099462274292014-11-25T03:37:39.613+02:002014-11-25T03:37:39.613+02:00I just got my vintage Fuji back on the road this y...I just got my vintage Fuji back on the road this year, and had never worn a helmet in my life and had no plans to start. Hearing me talk about how nice it was to careen around town on my bike, Mr. McThornbody decided he should get his road worthy and join me. Fortunately, his maiden voyage was a leisurely pedal up the street we live on. Have you ever heard a pinch flat explode? Seriously, it sounded like someone had fired off a 12-gauge. He also had almost no control getting stopped. If he'd been flying down some hill at 25 mph there would have been nothing left but a smear on the pavement. I bought a helmet the next day. Road rash is one thing; a closed head injury is a whole different animal.Gristle McThornbodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02975916963346215706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-8813983311197790732014-11-25T00:43:41.983+02:002014-11-25T00:43:41.983+02:00PS - In contrast, cycling at night without lights ...PS - In contrast, cycling at night without lights (especially on the road) is <i>always</i> a sign of stupidity!Ugihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00453326095140897474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-3407857684388325002014-11-25T00:42:00.723+02:002014-11-25T00:42:00.723+02:00Oddly the evidence for the benefits of cycle helme...Oddly the evidence for the benefits of cycle helmets is surprisingly thin. There is quite a good review here: http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1139.html<br /><br />In summary, academic analysis suggests that they should be effective but the best real-life examples (where helmets were made a legal requirement in Australia and New Zealand) just showed a big decrease in the number of cyclists with little significant decrease in injuries (and thus an increase in the number of injuries per mile cycled).<br /><br />I would always advocate children and those learning or otherwise prone to a fall wearing a helmet but in others it may not indicate stupidity - they may simply have read-up on the literature in the area!Ugihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00453326095140897474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-75624174314874181462014-11-24T23:55:47.725+02:002014-11-24T23:55:47.725+02:00I have a bike helmet from a particularly bad wipe ...I have a bike helmet from a particularly bad wipe out as a kid that has small stones embedded in it. I take it out to show the neighborhood kids why wearings a helmet is indeed "cool". I leave out the part where I was racing my friend down a dirt road going as fast as I could, instead of slowly circling the cul-de-sac like they are. <br /><br />Helmets are good. <br /><br />Worry not, if his mother was anything like mine it would very much be "If you're not dead, you're GOING to be". Sharkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01160474063593343683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-38675089328596932862014-11-24T23:25:49.852+02:002014-11-24T23:25:49.852+02:00You wear a helmet because when my son was five he ...You wear a helmet because when my son was five he hit a patch of sand and fell and his head hit the curb. There was a 1" depreression in the forehead area of the helmet with foam hanging out. <br /><br />Had he not not had the helmet, surely would have been a depressed skull fracture. As it was, other than a little chin rash he was fine. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-90350671648969671792014-11-24T23:14:31.022+02:002014-11-24T23:14:31.022+02:00Doc wouldn't have mentioned him wearing black ...Doc wouldn't have mentioned him wearing black clothes, or been angry at him in the first place, if he thought to put on lights or something.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-8680864726141330862014-11-24T20:41:55.821+02:002014-11-24T20:41:55.821+02:00What I also don't get is why riding your bike ...What I also don't get is why riding your bike at 10pm is such an outraging thing to do apparently? Unless if Sammy didn't have his lights on I don't understand the problem.<br />If he was indeed riding his bike without proper lights, then that was in fact incredibly stupid of him, but also Doc maybe should have mentioned that in the post ;)SoWeirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00950825812074871425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-91471518449149277602014-11-24T18:11:07.201+02:002014-11-24T18:11:07.201+02:00well, I can't speak for the rest of America, b...well, I can't speak for the rest of America, but I started wearing mine after learning how uncomfortable it is to have road debris picked out of a face and ear. - and how long it took the road rash to heal.<br /><br />I think a discussion on a different forum came to the realization that the netherlands has much slower normal speeds on bicycles than the US.<br />Ken Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166383392696452631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809371631407381115.post-11569772679785947872014-11-24T17:58:50.548+02:002014-11-24T17:58:50.548+02:00We don't wear helmets because we use them ever...We don't wear helmets because we use them everyday. <br /><br />You could argue it could be like having to put the seatbelt, but one thing about riding a bike in the NL is that it is much, much safer than in most other countries. How many of them have a dedicated bike lane for example? How many other countries severely punish accidents against bikes to the point you become paranoid of them when you're behind the steering wheel?<br /><br />In the end, it's still smart to carry a helmet. It doesn't prevent accidents, but it can save you from serious brain damage IF it happens.Nickohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13149156288196004202noreply@blogger.com