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Preventing the Unexpected: Safe Kids Day Targets Unintentional Injuries COLUMBIA, Mo. — Arnie Brucks wasn’t prepared to have a heart attack. He wasn’t prepared to lose control of his Dodge Dakota truck on one of Columbia’s busiest streets. He wasn’t prepared for his truck to run off the road, down a ravine and crash into a fence and tree. Yet, in one of Arnie’s final decisions, he prepared his five-year-old son David for all these unexpected events by strapping him into a booster seat. Arnie Brucks suffered a fatal heart attack on Jan. 8, 2008, while driving westbound on Providence Road in Columbia. David walked away from the accident with only a scratch on his face. "I fully believe if David had not been in his booster seat, he would have been thrown from the truck and suffered major injuries," said Barb Brucks, RN, David’s mother and manager of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Columbia Regional Hospital in Columbia, Mo. The Brucks’ made a habit of always buckling their children into a booster seat. Barb said the family never went anywhere without a car seat, and the consistent routine gave them a sense of security as parents. "You can be the safest driver in the world, but never take the chance," said Barb. "That booster seat made the difference between losing two members of my family." Motor vehicle awareness is one of many safety topics parents and children can learn more about at Safe Kids Columbia Day. The free event sponsored by Safe Kids Columbia and University of Missouri Health Care will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at Rusk Rehabilitation Center, 315 Business Loop 70 West in Columbia. Safe Kids Day is an annual event designed to reduce the number of unintentional injuries to children and promote safe habits. The event will feature educational booths and activities with injury-prevention information and safety tips for children and their parents. "We want to provide a fun environment where families can enjoy food, fun and games, yet take away important safety information that may save their lives," said Lezlie Dahlke, RN, Safe Kids Columbia coordinator and trauma outreach coordinator at University of Missouri Health Care. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, unintentional injury is the No. 1 killer of children ages 1-14 in the United States. Many of these injuries occur as the result of motor vehicle crashes, drowning, residential fires, suffocation or pedestrian accidents. An estimated 90 percent of these injuries and deaths are preventable. "We all have this invincibility that nothing bad could ever happen to us, but tragedy does happen when we least expect it," said Dahlke. "If you focus on accident prevention exercises like buckling your seatbelt every trip in the car, there is a level of protection for you in the event of an accident." Safe Kids Day is free and open to the public. For more information on the event or on the Safe Kids initiative, contact Lezlie Dahlke at (573) 884-6381. University of Missouri Health Care’s system of hospitals, clinics and telehealth sites employs approximately 6,000 clinicians, scientists, educators and other health professionals. The system includes University Hospital and Clinics, Children’s Hospital, Columbia Regional Hospital, Ellis Fischel Cancer Center and University Physicians, all based in Columbia, Mo. The health system also includes a long-term acute care facility, Missouri Rehabilitation Center, in Mount Vernon, Mo. Academic affiliates of the health system include the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, Sinclair School of Nursing and School of Health Professions. Other affiliates of the health system include Rusk Rehabilitation Center in Columbia, Mo.; Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, Mo., and Cooper County Memorial Hospital in Boonville, Mo. |
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