PEDIATRICS Vol. 89 No. 6 June 1992, pp. 1091-1093
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Injury Illiteracy

MARK D. WIDOME MD, MPH1

1 Dept of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Hershey

If you already find talking with parents about injury prevention a frustrating exercise, you may not want to read the article on bucket-related drowning published in this issues of Pediatrics.1 However, for readers, the article will strike a familiar chord. Bucket drownings are reminiscent of other serious or fatal injuries occurring in superficially benign circumstances: children becoming entrapped in household appliances and picnic coolers,2 children and adults suffering serious and fatal injuries from toothpicks,3 and teenagers being crushed to death beneath commercial soda-vending machines.4

Now, add to this list reports of injury associated with more hostile-appearing fixtures and products: entrapment by electrically operated garage doors,5 piercing skull injuries due to law darts,6 and esophageal burns caused by caustic pipeline cleaner used on dairy farms.7

Submitted on January 23, 1992
Accepted on January 23, 1992