Log onto http://video1.memorialhermann.org/video/public/ to download this news package with HD b-roll that includes:
3 High Res QuickTime files available for media usage, courtesy of Memorial Hermann Public Relations Team:
* B-roll of ATV, Ambulance and Life Flight Helicopter (ATVs and Safety News Conference.mov)
* B-roll of Dr. Stephen Fletcher, Children's Memorial Hermann, in Surgery (drfletcherbrollsurgery.mov)
* Interview with Dr. Stephen Fletcher, Children's Memorial Hermann (DrstephenfletcherinterviewATV.mov)
HOUSTON, Sept. 11, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As severe ATV injuries rise sharply among children nationwide, trauma specialists at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas -- home to the Gulf Coast region's only Level I pediatric trauma center -- today called on families to refrain from allowing children to drive adult ATVs and urged parents to require that children use helmets at all times.
According to Stephen Fletcher, M.D., pediatric neurosurgeon at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, hundreds of children across the nation suffer needless trauma behind the wheel of adult ATVs. Many of these children will experience severe ATV injuries that require extensive rehabilitation. Others, not so lucky, will die from injuries that could have been prevented.
At Children's Memorial Hermann, trauma specialists treated 29 children with ATV injuries in 2007.
* In 2008, they treated 46 children, an increase of 58 percent from the previous year. * In 2009 to date, specialists have already treated 37 children. * Nationwide, children under 16 suffered 40,000 ATV injuries, including 107 deaths, in 2007. This accounts for 27 percent of all children's injuries and 20 percent of children's fatalities, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). * Adults are not immune to ATV injuries. Nationwide, more than 150,000 children and adults suffered ATV injuries in 2007, according to the CPSC.
ATV Safety Rules to live by:
* Never let children ride without supervision and do not let children drive adult ATVs. * Always wear a helmet and protective gear. * Take an interactive, hands-on safety class for ATVs. * Never use alcohol while operating an ATV.
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