Doug Schuerer, MD - trauma surgeon
Matching Audio Soundbites also available by calling the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Medical News Service at (866) 747-4075
April 21, 2004, ST. LOUIS - In the last several years, the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) has increased dramatically each year in rural America. Unfortunately, fatalities and injuries involving ATVs are occurring at an alarming rate.
Dr. Doug Schuerer, trauma surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, continuously deals with the increasing number of these preventable accidents.
Click Here for Dr. Schuerer Audio Cut #1 (:20): "People that are riding ATVs tend to think they're a bit invincible while on them. They can go up to 75 miles per hour. People tend to not wear helmets, they ride them through areas where they don't know the trails, they ride them off hills, they ride them up too steep a hills and have them roll over on them and, unfortunately, they're often riding at night and inebriated."
Many of the ATV cases seen at Barnes-Jewish Hospital are transferred from rural areas as far as 180 miles away. In the time it takes to transfer the patient, precious minutes are lost. Hospitals across the country are closing their trauma centers due to funding challenges and malpractice issues, leaving fewer trauma centers to bear a large burden for the region's injured.
Click Here for Dr. Schuerer Audio Cut #2 (:18): "The problem with trauma centers is increasing because so many smaller hospitals are stopping their trauma programs because of coverage and malpractice issues. This has caused an overcrowding of trauma centers with an increase in ATV accidents often happening in rural areas and this has just clogged our large rural trauma centers even more."
Many ATVs can travel as fast as 75 miles per hour across and are used in dangerous areas such as fields, forests and around water. Speed, inexperienced driving, improper apparel, and lack of helmets are common factors leading to the spike in injuries. However, Dr. Schuerer feels one of the biggest factors in ATV accidents is very preventable:
Click Here for Dr. Schuerer Audio Cut #3 (:19): "I'd say at least 50 percent of our ATV accidents, people are consuming alcohol at the time. Even though you're not on road, it is still illegal to be driving a vehicle while intoxicated. It's officially illegal to ride a bicycle while intoxicated yet, for some reaon, people think out in the middle of the woods or wherever it's an okay thing to do."
Barnes-Jewish Hospital promotes efforts to raise attention about trauma and what must be done to reduce the devastating impact of traumatic injuries, including promotion of national Trauma Awareness Month in May.
For more information on injury prevention or trauma services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, call toll free at (866) TOP-DOCS (866-867-3627).
To schedule an interview about trauma prevention, call Tracee Champa at (314) 286-0670.