Holiday time brings spike in accidents

While Wairarapa children are having a blast these school holidays, the increased free time will likely see a spike in accidents.

Last year, 2633 ACC injury claims were lodged for Wairarapa children aged 0-14, costing taxpayers $584,256. This was up from 2620 the previous year, at $305,367.

Nationwide, 334,141 child injury claims were lodged during 2012, at a cost of $63,901,699.

Boys were the most accident-prone with 188,529 claims, compared to girls with 145,612 claims.

Wairarapa Hospital Emergency Department acting charge nurse manager Vicki Hookham said staff saw an increase in child presentations most school holidays and Christmas was no exception. Summer holidays brought broken bones and lacerations from new bikes or scooters and trampolines, as well as cut feet from going barefoot and infections from untreated wounds.

"I believe we need to let our Kiwi kids be Kiwi kids and let them enjoy the summer, but let's minimise injury.

"Ensure helmets are being worn on bikes and scooters, and set some guidelines for use on trampolines to help prevent overloading and therefore falling off. If kids get hurt, use common sense - clean wounds immediately and cover them to prevent infection."

She also reminded parents to remember sun protection and hydration for children.

"Sunburn for children is very, very painful."

Most ACC child injury claims nationwide were for minor injuries.

Soft tissue injuries, such as bruises, strains and sprains, led to around 152,600 claims, while lacerations, puncture wounds and stings resulted in about 98,100 claims.

The next most common injury category was fractures and dislocations.

Other cases included dental injuries, burns, foreign body in eye and concussion.

ACC's insurance and prevention services general manager John Beaglehole said many minor injuries happened during everyday, healthy play, so were simply part of childhood.

"Most kids love running and jumping around, which are all part of a healthy lifestyle. In fact, kids need to take some risks in order to learn," he said.

"But at the same time, there are things you can do to help prevent injuries.

"With preschoolers, it's basically up to parents and caregivers to manage their risks, by checking their environment and through good supervision.

"As kids get older, you still need to set boundaries, but it's also about helping them start to learn to manage risk sensibly themselves.

"That means talking to them about risks and being a good role model." APNZ