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Hamilton Spectator
20-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
These are the common dangers Toronto ER doctors say kids should avoid: ‘The risk is simply not worth it'
A bike ride to the local pool. A perfectly executed plunge off the diving board. An evening spent in the backyard, locked in competition with the kids next door to see who boasts the best trampoline tricks. A day in the life of a child is all about balancing recreation and risk. And while many activities, like unsupervised swimming, are likely to already be on the minds of parents, others may come as a surprise. The Star spoke to some of Toronto's pediatric emergency medicine physicians about some of the fun but dangerous activities they advise against. Here are some of the biggest hazards to avoid to ensure kids stay safe. Pools and natural bodies of water, like lakes or oceans, are rife with risk, said Dr. Steve Lin, interim chief at St. Michael's Hospital Department of Medicine. 'Particularly ones that have no adult or lifeguard supervision,' Lin said in an interview. 'Those are always going to be an issue over and over.' Children must always wear certified lifejackets, said Dr. Natasha Collia, an emergency room doctor at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. 'Not one of those ones that just goes around the neck — and no floaties around the arms, because those won't keep your child's head above water,' Collia said in an interview. Slips and trips, whether on the pool deck, beach or shore, also pose risk of head and neck injuries when playing near water. Kids clamber over an empty lifeguard station at Marie Curtis Park, near Lake Shore Boulevard and Brown's Line. 'Biking in general but more so biking without a helmet,' Lin said. While Ontario law requires anyone under 18 to don a helmet while biking, Lin said he still sees a significant number of head injuries sustained by kids riding without one. Parachute Canada, a Toronto-based non-profit aimed at reducing preventable injury, estimates brain injuries as the number one cause of serious injury and death for children on bicycles. Four of five brain injuries could be avoided by a properly fitted helmet, it says. Riders should avoid the roads and stick to bike lanes where possible, said Lin. 'That's another really big one.' There are few things Collia recommends against altogether, but trampolines are one of them. Most parents don't realize the dangers that come with the spring-loaded devices. According to Parachute, an average of more than 1,200 Canadians under 17 suffer injuries on backyard trampolines and at trampoline parks every year. 'The risk is simply not worth it,' she said. 'It really is one of those pieces of equipment that leads to any kind of injury. We're talking head, neck and extremities.' If parents opt to allow their children on the trampoline, Collia insists it should not be set up near any structures that they could bump into. Having more than one person jumping at the same time is also ill-advised. Collia said she often sees parents allowing their children on toboggans or sleds unprotected. 'I watch these kids go down a hill without a helmet and it's just like, 'what are you thinking?' ' she said. Even with a helmet, high speeds and a lack of control make toboggans and sleds a dangerous choice. 'We've seen an increase in kids getting creative — doing things like going down head first, belly down,' she said. 'Now your head's the first thing that's going to hit, or, if your belly is on the ground, you're considering chest and abdominal injuries.' Electric scooters may be prohibited in Toronto — and provincially for anyone under the age of 16 — but a growing number of kids are still using them to get around. Over the past five years, data from Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children shows a steady increase in the number of youth reporting to the emergency room following e-scooter crashes. Head injuries are some of the most common sustained by e-bike and e-scooter riders, said Collia, but they're not the only risk. 'I've had a scooter impaled into someone's chest,' she said. 'Or kids go over the handlebars and they get injuries to the abdomen, where they have bleeds due to spleen or liver injuries.' Collia recommends parents keep their young kids off ATVs as well, regardless of helmet use. 'Kids' bodies are just not built for things like this — I hate to say it, but they just fly.' Over the past five years, Torontohas seen a steady increase in the number of patients reporting While parents may already be aware that things like swimming pose risks to their children, Collia has a number of lesser-known activities that are dangerous for children. Inflatable bouncy castles, for example. Last year, Collia said she treated multiple children in the emergency room after an inflatable castle deflated and collapsed on a kids' birthday party. 'I don't even know why they exist,' Collia said. 'These things tip, they deflate, they collapse. 'Imagine, if that whole thing was on top of a child, how easy it will be for them to get trapped,' she added. Lawn mowers are another. The household device can be especially dangerous if you have multiple kids, Collia said. 'If an older one is using the equipment or learning how to use the equipment, it's very easy for a younger child to just get in the way or climb on it.' And maybe the least recognized? Shopping carts, said Collia. Oftentimes, people don't realize how unstable the carts are. 'All it takes is for them to reach or bend over the side and either the whole cart flips over or they fall out,' she said. 'Those are the big ones that I think parents need to really think about that they might not always.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Global News
17-07-2025
- Health
- Global News
E-scooter injuries are on the rise among both kids and adults, data and doctors say
The Canadian Institute for Health Information says e-scooter injuries are on the rise across the country. It released data Thursday saying that hospitalizations involving e-scooters for kids between five and 17 years old increased by 61 per cent from 2022-23 to 2023-24. The agency said hospitalizations for men between 18 and 64 went up by 22 per cent in that time period and went up by 60 per cent for women. The data shows the majority of e-scooter hospitalizations happened in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Dr. Daniel Rosenfield, a pediatric emergency physician at SickKids Hospital in Toronto, said the number of kids and teens arriving in the emergency department with e-scooter injuries has been increasing over the last five years and some have been 'catastrophic,' including one 13-year-old boy's death in 2023. Story continues below advertisement 'We see anything from minor scrapes and cuts and little lacerations that need a couple of stitches to … traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding in the chest and abdomen, open fractures that need to go to the operating room to be fixed,' he said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Some children between four and six years old have been hurt while riding with their parents on an e-scooter, Rosenfield said, but injuries among teens riding on their own is more common. Among cases where the information is available, 80 per cent of the riders who end up in the ER aren't wearing helmets, he said. Rosenfield said he thinks the rise in injuries correlates to an increase in the popularity and affordability of e-scooters in recent years — together with a lack of understanding about how dangerous they can be. 'These scooters, much like everything electrified these days, have come down in price and have increased in power,' he said. 'Their acceleration and torque is tremendous. And most parents, when they're buying these things for their kids, are completely unaware of that.' Pamela Fuselli, president and CEO of Parachute Canada — a charity focused on injury prevention — said the laws around e-scooters vary between provinces and even municipalities. In Ontario, riders must be at least 16 years old. But in Toronto, e-scooters are not allowed on public roads or paths. And just east of the city in Oshawa, they're permitted under a pilot program. Story continues below advertisement But people are clearly using them even where they're not allowed, Fuselli said. 'Even while a city may have a bylaw about this, they can regulate what's operated in public spaces, but then that has to be enforced. They can't really regulate what's sold,' she said. Fuselli said kids under 16 should not be riding e-scooters — and parents shouldn't be buying them for children younger than that. 'They look like toys, but they really are motor vehicles,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025. Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
