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Doctor Talks On Common, Preventable Summer Injuries

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With temperatures hitting 90 degrees, it's official: Summer is here. But for hospital employees, that means emergency rooms are packed.

According to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, they see nearly 6,000 more patients in the summer. That's a 30 percent increase in patients from other months. However, many of those who end up in the emergency room suffer from similar injuries – ones that can also be prevented.

Dr. Gary Collins, chief of the Trauma Department at Regions Hospital, says falls are the most common kind of accidents among children and adults. Many of those falls result in head injuries and concussions. Blunt trauma to the head, which may be suffered in a fall, can result in a hemorrhage. Left untreated, a hemorrhage can balloon from the size of a sliver to that of an egg.

Half of the trauma cases Regions sees in the summer are alcohol related, Collins said.

Also, he said some of the most frequently injured adults are motorcycle riders.

"By definition, when a motorcycle crashes at high speeds, the driver is ejected," Collins said.

Blunt force accidents often result in broken bones, and abdominal injuries are also common.

"It's a great time of year in Minnesota, but it's also a time when people are out and about doing things," Collins said.

While you don't want to miss out on the fun, it helps to wear a seat belt in the car, a helmet if riding a bike or motorcycle, and to watch your alcohol consumption.

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