Wednesday, September 23, 2009

We Interrupt This Program...

... to state the obvious: Please wear your helmet. Please make your kids wear a helmet. Yes, I know all of you do this already. You are perfect and do what you are supposed to do. You are good parents and your kids love wearing their super cool helmets.

My 14 year old son went over his handlebars today when something he was carrying got caught up in the spokes of the front tire. He went over the handlebars and hit his head. Here is his helmet after the accident:


He has a head ache and is scraped up but is going to be fine. Here is his bike tire:

I'm sure that the helmet saved him from a serious head injury.

I'm thankful we live in a society today that promotes people wearing seat belts and helmets. When I was a kid, we made fun of people wearing seat belts as if being safe was uncool. I remember wearing a seat belt for the first time when I wasn't much younger than my son is now. It felt strange and constricting and a little over protective. I'm so glad things have changed. I'm so glad I am typing this right now, stating the obvious, instead of sitting in the emergency room.

12 comments:

AZ said...

I didn't even own a helmet growing up. Not sure if I rode in a car seat much either. Now I'm glad it's normal for kids to wear them. Glad that your son is doing well.

Mel-2nd Chances said...

OMG, yes, very thankful that you guys are not in an ER somewhere! My son always wears his helmet, and got the other kids he rides with to wear theirs, so i'm very proud and happy about that. Hope his headache goes away, but if that's the worst of it, then great! :)

Sunshine said...

What a great post!
My front of my bike helmet is scratched up ... instead of my face! I am a believer.

Londell said...

Yes a helmet is a life saver. I cringe each time I see kids riding around without a helmet. He is fortunate. Brings back my July crash year when my helmet broke in three places and I only had a concussion. God bless.

Mark said...

So glad he was wearing his helmet!!! Great post!

Porkchopwi said...

Uggg. That’s THE horror story of riding. But it’s great advice.
I’ve seen a lot of people in the last four years saved by the fact they were wearing a helmet (most recently two weeks ago when a guy went down in a sprint at 30 mph on a training ride).

A lot of times the helmet manufacturers will replace helmets broken in crashes. Not sure on cost, but it’s usually minimal. The replacement policy is normally in the user manual or on-line.

Glad this is another story that turned out well…. Now the front wheel may be a different story.

Amytrigirl (aka Amybee) said...

I'm glad your son is okay!

tri_al said...

nice post beth. i never used to wear my helmet tri training but once i'd admitted it in blog land i got a wave of 'you idiot.' i wear it everytime now, and am touching wood nothing has yet happened. great that your son is ok :)

Velma said...

Oh no - I am glad he is OK. I am reading a Lance Armstrong book, and I just found out that they didn't mandate helmets in bike racing until 2004. Crazy. Have a good weekend.,

Chad said...

Glad to hear your son is okay.

In response to your roller ski question, I just gave a friend who'd never x-c skied before this advice; wait until you have a season on snow under your belt before you try roller skis. If you're a new skier, you will fall. And snow is much softer than pavement. If you do strap on the roller skis, take your advice from this post, wear a helmet for sure, and consider knee and elbow pads.

Dori said...

How frightening for you. I'm happy that your son is fine. I believe in helmets and cringe when I see a cyclist without one.

Dori said...
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