protecting our kids: Dayton Children’s commitment to injury prevention

Injuries are the number 1 cause of death for people between the ages of 1 and 44 and our children are most impacted by this!

That’s why this Injury Prevention Day, Dayton Children’s is raising awareness by joining injury prevention organizations across the country in lighting our patient tower green to shine a light on safety. 

In 2023 alone, our Emergency Department saw more than 23,000 injured patients. More than 20,000 of those injuries were caused by:   

• Falls 
• Bike crashes 
• Dog bites  
• Ingesting something toxic (both intentionally and unintentionally)  
• Car crashes 
• Playground injuries  
• Sports injuries 
• Blunt trauma  

We know that accidents happen, but our goal is to help parents and caregivers reduce the chances of serious injuries for their kids. This Injury Prevention Day, we’re excited to highlight our injury prevention program and how we’re working to protect our kids! 

making injury prevention accessible 

At Dayton Children’s, we take injury prevention seriously, and our robust program reflects that commitment. Using data from our level one trauma center, we develop targeted interventions to keep kids safe. Our efforts include:

• Community education on important safety topics 
• Programs that provide free resources like cribs, car seats, and helmets,  
• Having a team of dedicated injury prevention specialists who are passionate about making a difference 

Our injury prevention team includes three injury prevention experts, Abbey Pettiford, Stefani Taylor and Lydia Captain who have more than a decade of experience with focusing on kids' safety between the three of them and are all certified child passenger safety technicians. From conducting car seat safety checks to sharing safety tips around the home, Abbey, Stefani and Lydia  are helping families across the region to keep kids safe and prevent unintentional injuries. 

“I am passionate about helping parents and caregivers keep their kids safe. My favorite part of my job is interacting with families to figure out the best way for everyone to travel safely,” shares Abbey. 

We’re proud that in the last year the injury prevention team has:  

• Given more than 1,100 bike helmets to our community and patients  
• Provided safety equipment for more than 100 families  
• Distributed 406 car seats in our area 

learn more about our car seat safety program

Injury prevention in action: how one simple choice saved Tatum’s life 

“Luckily, I was wearing my helmet; it saved my life.”

On a Spring day in 2023,  15-year-old Tatum Kershner was riding ATVs with friends on a family farm like she had done many times. She was always careful and always wore a helmet. But this time, while racing on a steep decline, Tatum braked hard to avoid rocks at the bottom and was thrown from the ATV, flying over the handlebars and landing hard on her head and back. 

Tatum’s story could have been very different if she was not wearing her helmet. The surgeon and emergency responders shared with them how strong of an impact the helmet took – the back of the helmet was cracked.  

Every year approximately 700 kids get hurt and visit Dayton Children’s emergency department with injuries from ATV’s, bikes, scooters, skateboards and other wheeled activities and while most are wearing a helmet, they may still have serious injuries. 

That's why our injury prevention team is passionate about providing safety equipment, education (like the This is How we Roll program) and resources to protect kids in our community like Tatum!

“I don’t know where I’d be without Dayton Children’s. It’s comforting to know that I have the support and care close to home,” Tatum said.  Read more about Tatum's story and recovery at Dayton Children's here.

This is how we Roll helmet safety program provides community agencies who promote active transportation safety in our 20-county service area up to 25 free helmets to be distributed and fitted during bike and other wheeled sports events. Read more about the safety guidelines covered by the This is How We Roll campaign here.