Don’t break a leg: Alberta ERs urge summer safety as numbers rise

Alberta Health Services (AHS) says the average wait time to be seen for a broken leg in an emergency room this season is anywhere from four to six hours as ERs see a summer surge.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) says the average wait time to be seen for a broken leg in an emergency room this season is anywhere from four to six hours as ERs see a summer surge. It’s not a new phenomenon, according to a media release from the organization. Between June 1 and Aug. 31 last year, more than 33,000 visits were recorded at 13 emergency department waiting rooms – more than 350 visits per day on average.

Common injuries include sports or playground-related broken bones, home improvement projects gone wrong, head injuries from a recreational fall and major trauma from car or cycling crashes. One Edmonton emergency room doctor says e-bike injuries are some of the most common to see in the ER – broken bones, ankles, forearms and wrists that occasionally need surgery. “You see lots of incidents of people on e-scooters and most adults don’t wear helmets when they use them,” Dr. Andrew Dixon with the University of Alberta Hospital told CTV News Edmonton.

“They do go quite fast. They certainly go fast enough that if you fall off, you can give yourself a serious head injury if you fall wrong.” While it’s impossible to avoid every injury, Dixon said, there are ways to prevent the worst: wearing a helmet or a seat belt, for starters.

“We certainly don’t want to advocate for people not to go outside and do things ... I think sometimes we just forget to take that moment of sober second thought before you go do something to be like, ‘Is this safe or is there a way I can make this a little bit safer for me or my children?’” he said. He also recommends picking your battles.

“If it’s a simple scrape or even a bang on the head, and you’re worried about a concussion, for the most part those sorts of injuries can be dealt with at a clinic ... Probably much more efficiently for you.” AHS also reminds people to not drink and scooter or bike and to use protective gear while playing sports.

People with known summer allergies or allergies to insect bites should also always carry epinephrine auto-injectors if prescribed. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti