Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

A Minnesota girl is alive –  badly injured but alive — today following a skiing accident last week, thanks to the helmet she was wearing. Six-year-old Julia Griggs from Mahtomedi, Minnesota, was skiing downhill with her father at a recreational park last Thursday when she struck a tree head-on.

Julia suffered a broken nose, broken facial bones, and a broken leg in the accident, but avoided a traumatic brain injury and was able to go home after five days of treatment in the hospital. Dr. Michael McGonigal, the director of trauma services at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, told Minnesota Public Radio that Julia was very fortunate to be wearing a helmet.

“It protected her brain, and that’s something that we can’t really fix, unfortunately. The helmet kept her in perfect condition, so she is fine other than a few things that will heal up now with a little extra care,” Dr. McGonigal told MPR.

Julia told reporters that the accident taught her one thing: to wear a helmet – something she and her 2 siblings have always done, thanks to their parents.

Helmets are not legally mandatory for skiers and snowboarders in the United States, although some resorts and recreational parks have their own rules governing the use of protective head gear.

According to the National Ski Areas Association, only 48 percent of all skiers and snowboarders wear helmets. That may seem like a grim figure, but helmet use on the slopes has actually doubled in the last decade.

Fortunately, most parents are raising their children to wear helmets while skiing. Seventy-seven percent of children 9 and younger and 66 percent of children ages 10 to 14 wear helmets when they ski.

Dr. McGonigal suggested that parents get their children involved with wearing skiing helmets at an early age. Julia told MPR that she doesn’t mind wearing a helmet because it keeps her head warm.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 7:00 am and is filed under News, brain injury, safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.