I was pretty freaked out yesterday reading articles about Natasha Richardson's death. It sounds like she took a normal fall on a beginner slope and somehow that led to a brain injury causing death. How does that happen?
I had mixed feelings when I heard the report of her not wearing a helmet. On the one hand, I do have a ski helmet, and I wear it all the time now. On the other hand, I skied my whole life sans helmet up until two years ago. It felt weird to me to wear a helmet, and I generally can tell when I'm going to fall, so I've yet to hit my head falling while skiing, knock on wood. (Snowboarding is a completely different story; I quit snowboarding after a particularly bad fall involving head-to-slope impact.)
I was stupidly stubborn on the helmet issue until I got demolished by an out-of-control boarder one day while standing completely still. At that point I realized that even if I knew what I was doing, it was entirely possible for me to get screwed by someone else who didn't. Two weeks later I was at Sports Basement looking for end-of-season sales on helmets.
I still don't wear a helmet when I use the public bikes around campus at work. I think I'm too lazy to hunt down a helmet and then wear it, for just a few minutes of riding. Maybe that's stupid too. Bleah.
Vancouver Richmond Nightmarket
6 years ago
1 comment:
Speaking from personal experience of having been hit by a car while riding my bicycle sans helmet, I'd use the helmet at all times.
Like you wrote, it's not just a matter of how much you pay attention to others, but also the other way around. It's not worth the risk, even if the work campus seems the least likely of places for an accident.
Post a Comment