Kayaking Fatalities: Could More Appropriate Helmets Prevent Fatal Consequences?
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Kayaking Fatalities: Could More Appropriate Helmets Prevent Fatal Consequences? Valter Stemberga • Drazen Cuculic Anja Petaros • Ivan Sosa
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Published online: 10 October 2013 Ó Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2013
Dear Editor, Kayaking is becoming an increasingly popular white water (WW) sport. Although kayak fatalities are rather uncommon [1–4], a comprehensive review by Wilson et al. (Injuries, ill-health and fatalities in white water rafting and white water paddling [1]), recently published in your journal, evidenced the need for more studies investigating injuries, deaths, and risk factors related to practicing the sport, recognizing that data on kayaking fatalities are limited to specific countries. Gathering information on fatally injured kayakers and recognizing accident- and death-related risk factors helps in developing national and international preventive measures that can decrease the number of lethal accidents. Therefore, we report three cases of fatal kayaking accidents, highlighting the importance of using proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when practicing the sport. At the Department of Forensic Medicine and Criminalistics, Rijeka University School of Medicine, Croatia, three cases of fatally injured kayakers were documented in the period between 2006 and 2013. All three were males, aged between 29 and 34 years. Drowning was proved to be the cause of death in all three cases. Drowning was most likely the result of unconsciousness caused by antemortem head injuries documented in all three victims, suffered even though they were wearing protective headgear. However, a similarity between the PPE worn by the victims was observed, and we believe it is not accidental. All kayakers were wearing a bicycle helmet rather than a V. Stemberga D. Cuculic A. Petaros (&) I. Sosa Department of Forensic Medicine and Criminalistics, Rijeka University School of Medicine, Brace Branchetta 20, 51 000 Rijeka, Croatia e-mail: [email protected]
rafting–kayaking helmet when the accident occurred. Since there are significant differences in the structure and performance after impact between the two types of helmets, the use of improper gear in the three cases could have played a significant role in the outcome of the kayaking incidents. The water environment differs greatly from the cycling-road environment, as do the associated biomechanical forces acting on the body in normal and adverse circumstances while practicing the sport [2, 4]. Kayaking and rafting helmets are designed to withstand the repeated impacts and movement of the head inside the helmet that occur with WW sport, and the specific features of their foam padding mean they can absorb multiple impacts [5]. They also cover more of the head [5]. In contrast, bicycle helmets are designed for a single impact; they often have a much thinner shell and they have a different lining that absorbs and distributes the force of the impact differently to kayaking and rafting helmets [5–7]. The importance of wearing headg
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