Ottawa Head Injury Lawyer, Ottawa Brain Injury Lawyers, Ottawa Personal Injury Lawyer David Hollingsworth

Starting next year, the city of Ottawa plans to require children under the age of 13 to wear helmets at municipal indoor skating rinks, but may stop short of a bylaw making helmets mandatory for children in all outdoor sports. The city of Ottawa currently  makes minors wear helmets when they participate in city-run skating programs, or use the indoor skateboard park or the BMX park. The new policy will extend mandatory helmet use for children to all Ottawa public skating sessions.

Last year, doctors from Ottawa CHEO spoke to the city’s community and protective services committee about how proper helmet use can prevent  children head injury and children brain injury. They noted that Ottawa emergency-room doctors at the Ottawa hospital treated more than 50 Ottawa children last year with head injury and facial injury caused by skating and tobogganing accidents. About half of them suffered concussions while the other half had injury ranging from cuts to broken jaws incurred as a result of face-plants on the ice. However, when compared to sledding and skateboarding, ice skating accounts for the most ER visits for head injury in children. That’s why the city’s parks and recreation department is recommending that helmets become mandatory for children under 13 at all supervised, indoor skating rinks.

Whether it be on skates, on a bike or on a skateboard, I encourage everyone to help keep their children safe and have them wear a helmet.  If you can’t afford one, there are programs in Ottawa that can help .  For more information visit www.ottawainjury.ca or email ottawainjury@live.ca

Ottawa Head Injury Lawyer, Ottawa Brain Injury Lawyer David Hollingsworth, Ottawa Personal Injury Lawyer