Following a recent tobogganing accident in Byron, the City of London has put up fencing and no tobogganing signs. The accident left Londoner Pete Mogan with a fractured skull, brain bleed, and five fractured ribs.
Pamela Fuselli is the President and CEO of Parachute, a Charity that aims to prevent injuries by advocating and educating. According to Fuselli picking a proper location is one of the best ways to avoid injury.
“You want to pick a place that is free of hazards. Oftentimes, we hear about people hitting trees, going over rocks, or bumps out into traffic. So make sure that they’re away from things like roads, but also rivers and railroad tracks.”
In addition to paying attention to the environment around you, Fuselli stressed the importance of having time to slow down.
“You want to make sure there’s plenty of room once you get to the bottom of the hill to be able to continue on. That way it isn’t a short run at the end of the hill that forces you to stop quickly.”
Another way to ensure you can slow down is to use equipment that’s been designed for tobogganing.
“Things like innertubes might be fun, but they’re not designed for sledding, and they can be really difficult to control.”
One of the most important things to protect is your head. One of the easiest ways to protect your head while tobogganing is to wear a helmet. Fuselli suggests wearing a ski helmet.
“They’re designed for use in cold weather, and for similar kinds of falls and the speeds that you go on a toboggan.”
Although most tobogganing injuries are harmless there are examples of more severe cases.
“We see a number of different injuries ranging From broken bones, to head injuries, and unfortunately, in some cases death. That’s not usual, most injuries show up in emergency rooms, and some people have to be hospitalized.”
For Fuselli the goal of having safety tips is simple.
“We want kids to be out. We want them to be enjoying the outdoor activities, especially now. We want them to be able to do it again and again, to do that we need to take a few safety precautions.”
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