Safety and Pediatric Trauma

One minute, she's playing happily; the next minute, there's a scream. The parents rush to their child, too late to prevent the accident but wishing they could. There may be dozens of crises like this in a parent's life, but it only takes one to permanently injure or kill a child. That is why parents and children need safety education.

In the United States alone, several thousand children ages four and under die each year because of accidental injuries. Forty-five times that number are hospitalized. Some 1,300 times that number go to hospital emergency rooms, and twice as many are treated at home. The leading causes of death for children one to four years old are motor vehicles, fires/burns, drownings, chokings, poisonings, and falls.

When a serious accident does occur, special expertise and equipment may be needed to save the child's life. That is why a pediatric trauma center should be linked to every community.