Why We Wear A Helmet

The Summer before 4th grade I was riding my bike home from piano lessons and hit a pothole in the road. That is all I remember until three days later when I woke up in the hospital surrounded by balloons and teddy bears. I was not wearing a helmet. (They were not really talked about then)

Needless to say I am a big fan of helmets and always make my kids wear them even if they are just riding in the driveway. They are good about it because that has always been the rule. Last night I was glad we have made it a rule.

Joe has been doing really well on his two wheeler so we thought it would be fun to go to the Jordan River Parkway last night. We decided to go on the south end of the path this time, because it is pretty flat. There is really only one hill each way where we would be riding, so it is a great place for Joe to get some more practice.

Ryan and Emily took off and road fast together while the boys and I slowly but steadily made our way down the path. When we got to the hill Joe went down and did really well. He had to walk his bike up the other side, but I did too the first time, because it kind of catches you off guard. It comes right after a sharp turn so you don't see it until you are on it. After a little while we made it to the park and the boys played for a little bit. I called Ryan to see where he and Emily were. They had just turned around and were heading back towards us. When we were all together again Joe wanted to ride with the "fast group." So Ryan and Emily stayed with Joe. Valerie and I followed Josh.

Soon the "fast group" was out of sight. Every now and then I would catch a glimpse of them up ahead. Then as we got closer to the hill I heard a scream. Emily came riding towards me to tell me that Joe had fallen on the hill. I was expecting scraped up hands and knees, but that was not what I found as I rounded the corner.

Joe had made it down the hill, but did not make the sharp turn. Instead he had crashed into the cement wall at the bottom of the hill.

Lucky for us the front tire and his helmet took the bulk of the hit, but his face was scraped up, red, and swelling on one side, and he would not stop crying, so we decided to take him to get it looked at.

The nurses and the doctor kept telling Joe how proud they were that he wore his helmet. How smart he was for wearing it and, how that had really made all of the difference. It is true.....His helmet did NOT make it through the crash. You can't really see the damage from far away, but as I held it in my hands in the hospital room, I could see where it hit, and the way the helmet was distorted in spots.

The doctor looked him over really well and decided that he probably had a fracture in his cheek, but his eyes and brain function were all normal. So we just needed to give him some Advil and watch him through the night.

After we left the hospital Joe told me that he was glad he had a helmet and he was glad that the cement wall was there to stop him. I was thinking a nice grassy spot to land would have been better, so I asked him why he was glad the wall was there. He told me that if it wasn't there he would have crashed into the river and drowned. So I guess we are grateful for cement walls too.

From the way the doctor and nurses responded to Joe wearing a helmet I got the feeling that more often than not kids come in who have not been wearing one. I have noticed kids in my own neighborhood without them. I believe helmets are a huge must when riding. They can save lives and stop us from getting major injuries. If you don't already, please wear your helmet and make your kids wear one too.

Joe's face is still not very pretty today, but the swelling has gone down some and there was no major damage. It could have been a lot worse. I'm so grateful it wasn't!