Issac McGair has had a rough few months of recovery after a serious accident in Adelaide’s Murrayland in October last year.
Key points:
- SA Health urges parents to prioritise safety around water
- 10 children have been treated at Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s hospital this year for water related injuries
- Experts believe there will be more accidents this long weekend.
The soccer player, 16, suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis after he collided with two wooden poles while on an inflatable raft at Mannum.
“I was getting toed by my dad’s boat while holding a tight rope,” he said.
“I didn’t know what hit me as I was in such shock, next thing I knew I was in the water in absolute pain.”
Now he wants to warn other teenagers of the dangers in water sports.
“Know your limits, don’t do stuff that adults wouldn’t do,” he said.
It’s the same message that Adelaide mother Sharon Sands wants to echo before the long weekend.
Her daughter, Hayley, had a serious diving accident in 2012.
“She dived into a pool and as she was about to hit the water she tilted her head back and she became a tetraplegic,” she said.
“You never take water for granted, it can cause so many different issues,” she said.
“We all need to be very vigilant when children go near water.”
Ten children have been treated at Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital from water activities like jetty jumping, river sports or near drownings so far this year.
That figure is compared to four the same time last year.
Dr Rebecca Cooksey from the hospital’s trauma service believes those figures will increase this weekend.
She urges parents to put safety precautions in place when holidaying near water.
“We know for children the leading cause of death is trauma,” she said.
Dr Cooksey said authorities encourage children to swim between the flags at beach locations and check for submerged items before jumping into water.
“Make sure you always have an adult dedicated to supervising children in and around water,” Dr Cooksey.
“Look out for the signs on the beach and river, particularly following speed limits.”
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