Skateboarding can be a challenging, fun, and rewarding sport. It is especially popular among young children and teenagers, but parents should know that the sport is not without risk. Researchers report that after analyzing data collected over the two decades, they discovered that 64,500 children and teens were treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to skateboarding. Dislocations and fractured bones were among the most commonly treated injuries. The study included data for children who were between 5 and 19 years old between the years of 1990-2008. The research also indicated that males were more likely to be injured than females. Almost 40% of the injuries occurred at or near the home. Just under 30% of the injuries occurred on the roadways.
The News Leader reports that a teenager has been critically injured in a tragic skateboarding accident.
The accident occurred in Fernandina Beach on Thursday night at around 10:00 p.m.
17-year-old Collin Helms was riding his skateboard while holding onto the side of a Dodge Ram 1500 truck. He was seriously injured and was rushed to UF Health Shands hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the truck had three passengers that were riding in the bed of the truck. All were 17 years of age.
Captain David Bishop of the Fernandina Beach Police Department said that the situation was just a tragic accident. He personally knew the father of the accident victim and many of the people involved.