Memorial Day weekend kicks off busy season for emergency rooms

Officials at St. Paul's Regions' hospital say the Memorial Day weekend typically kicks off the busy season for emergency rooms.

That's due to people being more active outdoors as the weather gets nicer, said Regions' head of surgery, Dr. Gary Collins.

"There's probably more do-it-your-selfers that are out working on their house in the summertime, spring especially cleaning out the gutters, those sorts of things. So ladder falls we definitely see an uptick in the spring and summer," he said.

Parents should also be proactive about preventing their children's falls, Collins said.

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Last year 125 children were admitted to the hospital's trauma center after falling from windows, playgrounds and trampolines.

The nice weather means people are more active and in some cases riding motorcycles for the first time this season and may be out of practice, Collins said.

"There's still some sand and grit on the roads in places and so taking the motorcycle out for the first weekend, plus the road conditions sometimes can lead to injuries. Obviously if there's alcohol involved that potentiates that risk as well."

Collins said wearing a helmet goes a long way toward preventing head injuries on motorcycles or bicycles.