does working in ER make you want motorcylehelmets mandatory

schoona · Jul 25, 2005

We also refer to them as temporary residents! :rolleyes:

i worked the ER for 17 years and i found that
motorcyclists not wearing helmets serves two purposes...first, in an evolutionary way, they often don't survive long enough to pass on the "stupid" genes to the next generation of riders, and second...lord knows we need the doners.

mackrn · Jul 25, 2005

Iwas fresh out of the Marine Corps and starting nursing school, while working in the ER as an orderly. Was going to get a motorcycle for the commute due to bugetary concerns, but after a month there and seeing head injuries, spinal cord injuries and the assorted other traumas associated with riding a bike, deceided to keep my datsun.

Of course now have other descriptions for bikes:

Kawasaki = Kidney doner in Japanese.

Motorcycle = Gift you give your son for his last birthday.

AtlantaRN, RN · Jul 30, 2005

I'm with FrumDoula, I don't like my personal liberties stepped on. Less legislation, more education

atlantarn

swthrt124 · Aug 1, 2005

Whenever I see someone riding without a helmut I always think of it as an accident waiting to happen. I do however agree that laws are not going to make someone more worried about their comfort while riding than them making it to their destination in one piece change their minds. I would think that getting smacked in the head by a big june bug would be enough incentive for me to put a helmut on.

mdoze911nurse · Aug 1, 2005

i'm glad you asked, but i'm sure my answer will offend some.
[color=purple] i believe that adults ought to have the right to make their own decisions, sound or not, so long as they do not endanger anyone else. failing to wear a helmet, seatbelt, or other safety devices does not make one a danger to others, only to himself or herself. while crashes involving riders and passengers who fail to wear helmets or buckle up definitely have financial and emotional costs to society, it is not possible (or desirable) to remove all risks from our lives, and where would we draw the line at which costs are acceptable to pass along to our fellow citizens and which are not?
for example, should we outlaw smoking and refuse to pay for smoking-related healthcare costs? we are already on the way down that road. what about alcohol-related healthcare costs? many would be happy to refuse payment for those, too, despite alcohol being a legal substance for those of age. what about my diagnosis of melanoma 10 years ago? it was directly related to irresponsible sun worshipping in my youth. should i be solely responsible for the healthcare costs related to it, or should my youthful indescretion be forgiven, since i didn't comprehend the risk at the time? what about obesity? if you eat your way to diabetes or a heart attack, should your fellow citizens help to pay your healthcare costs through group insurance or medicare?
what about those who engage in risky recreational activities such as skydiving, auto racing, horseback riding? christopher reeve's horseback riding accident cost more in healthcare dollars over a ten year period than most families incur in a lifetime.
the reality is that we all have habits that are risky or unhealthy and create burdens on others. creating a hierarchy of "acceptable" habits worthy of healthcare funding and other societal support, versus "unacceptable" habits not deserving of such support is an exercise in futility, as virtually everyone has an argument as to why they should be covered, while someone else should not be.
if an activity is legal, then allow adults to articipate in any way that does not endanger anyone else. children are another story, and should be protected, by parental control or law until they are of age to make such decisions for themselves.
by the way, i always buckle up, my kids wear helmets, and we all reek of sunscreen from spring to winter. i just don't think legislators need to tell me what to do for myself.

i understand your points, however, there is activity to stop paying for smoke related illness and those who smoke (not i) are paying in increased premiums, etc. however, we started out discussing helmets. i hate, too, that legislature has to make someone do something that only makes sense. i guess i never gave much thought before 2 years ago sept. i am an er rn and work on our rural ambulance. labor day is our big parade/street party of the year. to make a long story short a non-helmet wearer was accidently struck by a police officer making a turn. i came up on the accident next and spent a looong 10 minutes waiting for ems to get thru the crowd. only injury was to his unhelmeted head. yes, it was his decision but the county was sued, the officer was sued, the county/city became divided territory as each person had their opinion. i had nightmares. i have never felt so helpless as i asked over and over "please, tell them to expedite". many lives were changed because of his freedom of choice to not wear his helmet. i went to a shop his widow owns for the next year listening to her rant about the officer and his senseless death. they even had motorcycle rallies to raise money for the court cases. of course most did not have on helmets. then when the supeonas went out she found out i was the first there. after the courts were over and i was able to say to her that i am really sorry about his death but so many people were affected and to please encourage her friends to wear helmets. i also did a thesis on the subject and still write our congressman every month. i thought i had seen it all in the er and ems but when you are out there on a hot hiway and no equipment a few minutes feels like a life time and for him it was! he is dead for his decision - the rest of us will forever be changed and the officer lost his work even though he was found not guilty, because of public opinion! i am sorry for the length but this has become a passion and i hope that it will help someone.

DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 1, 2005

Good points

Danelle · Aug 1, 2005

I had the seatbelt/helmet law discussion with my Dh's step mother who was a paramedic in Florida for many years. we both agreed that with the helmets, yes people should wear them, but it should be your right to choose. Some parts of Florida (I'm not sure if it is statewide) do not require helmets as long as you have insurance. (I guess they figure you can be as stupid as you want as long as you don't expect the state to pay for the damage) For her family, she hope none of us would ever choose to ride, as she has scraped many a motorcyle rider off of the pavement.

My other MIL (husband's real mom) is an avid motorcycle rider who wears a helmet only because it is a law, and rides in shorts and a tank top....even after getting serious road rash from a wreck WHILE wearing full leather (it was winter) AND losing one of her ex-husbands to a motorcycle wreck!!!:smackingf

However, MIL #1 made a good point about the seatbelts, in that, studies have shown that wearing a seatbelt allows the driver to maintain better control of the vehicle during an accident, or would be accident, by keeping the driver from being thrown around the car or through the windshield. This protects other drivers and pedestrians as well, so the law makes more sense.

Janlynn · Aug 1, 2005

My father had a horrible accident a few years ago while riding his motorcycle. He was inexperienced, and not wearing a helmet. He crashed just across the street from his own driveway--into a tree. He suffered multiple broken bones (including almost all of the bones in his face), and a very bad TBI. Just seeing him laying on the table in the trauma room that night still gives me nightmares. His head was swollen to 5 times it's original size, he looked like something out of a horror movie. In the following days his multiple breaks in the face had pushed his eyeballs out of thier sockets, he was leaking CSF from his nose, he wasn't expected to make it. He was in a coma for 3 weeks and spent the next 6 weeks in rehab. During this time the newspaper here did a write up on his story--there were countless reply's in the editor section from people that were either pro or against helmet laws (our state does not have one), there were debates on the radio on the issue, it was a pretty big ordeal.

My father made it through, although he was no longer able to continue his career and was forced to retire, he can't walk without a walker now, he has trouble remembering names--his short-term memory is shot, he's depressed and sleeps until mid afternoon, he no longer participates in any of his hobbies (he's a Shriner and was involved in politics), he's very suspicious of everything, he get's frustrated and irritated at the drop of a hat, the list goes on.

After his accident I decided to pursue a career in the medical field, I went to CNA school and worked in rehab for TBI's, SCI's, and CVA patients. I've seen my fair share of what can happen without wearing a helmet. I've seen alot children with TBI's and it's a very sad situation to think it could have been prevented.

I have since gotten my LPN and will be going back to school here in the near future for my RN. I am now working in a level I trauma department doing fast track. Just last week we had a 13 year old come in with a TBI from riding his dirt bike on the road and getting hit by a car.

Knowing and seeing all of this, I would love it if there were a helmet law. I would at the very least like to see one for inexperienced and young riders. If you start them out wearing helmets it's more than likely that they will continue to wear a helmet--and the best part would be that it is thier choice after they reach a certain age, or have become more experienced.

Sorry for such a long post--but this issue really does hit close to home for me. This is my very first post, and I look forward to posting more! :)

mdoze911nurse · Aug 2, 2005

Just another thought: Everyone seems to agree that children should be mandated to wear helmets, but some feel very strongly that adults should make up their own minds about helmets and such. Children learn from adults and most imitate those they respect, therefore, another reason to have helmets mandatory. We can try to MAKE kids do things that we don't but in the end they will learn much more from what they see than what they are told. That goes for all such habits, like smoking, excesses in life, etc.

Another point is that people who want to jump out of planes are not usually in court trying to make the driver of the plane pay for his lack of common sense. I can drive my car all day and not have to watch for falling skydiver! :rolleyes:

chicagrl72 · Aug 2, 2005

.

Another point is that people who want to jump out of planes are not usually in court trying to make the driver of the plane pay for his lack of common sense. I can drive my car all day and not have to watch for falling skydiver! :rolleyes:

great point !

ah ha ha ha ah :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Aug 2, 2005

Another point is that people who want to jump out of planes are not usually in court trying to make the driver of the plane pay for his lack of common sense. I can drive my car all day and not have to watch for falling skydiver!

That could be said about plenty of people driving anything with wheels on it.

blueinplaid · Aug 2, 2005

Just another thought: Everyone seems to agree that children should be mandated to wear helmets, but some feel very strongly that adults should make up their own minds about helmets and such. Children learn from adults and most imitate those they respect, therefore, another reason to have helmets mandatory.
You make a very good point bitter, I had never thought about it in that respect....Maybe my thoughts are more reflections of being frustrated with peoples' lack of sense than anything else....thank you for making me think!