Beware: flood-related debris and damage can cause serious injury

The Spinal Injuries Association is urging Queenslanders to take special care when swimming, driving or traveling through bushland following recent widespread flooding in Queensland. Acting CEO John Mayo said that the floods had caused many unexpected changes to the environment that could cause a spinal cord injury.

“The recent rain has been wonderful for Queensland but it has also resulted in huge changes to our environment that we all need to take into account,” he said.

“The recent storms have shifted all types of dangerous debris not just in rivers, creeks and dams, but also at our beaches.

“This type of debris, such as logs and branches, is often what causes a spinal cord injury – if someone dives into the water and hits the debris, they can break their back or neck, resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia.”

Mr Mayo said that water-related accidents were the third most common cause of a spinal cord injury in Queensland, following road trauma and falls/crushes. Around 90 people each year sustain a spinal cord injury in Queensland – or one person on average every four days.

“Water levels and currents have also been altered with these heavy rains so while someone may be familiar with a body of water, the recent rain has changed everything,” Mr Mayo said.

“We strongly urge people to take special care when swimming in creeks, rivers, dams or at the beach given the changed circumstances.

“They need to walk into the water to check whether there is anything under the surface and whether it is deep enough to dive into.

“Taking a minute to check, can save someone a life-time of living with a spinal cord injury.”

Mr Mayo said bush tracks and regional roads should also be viewed with special caution.

“A bush track used by trail bike riders, for example, might now have logs or other debris in its path with some areas possibly washed away,” he said.

“Erosion may well have caused some formerly stable areas of track to be uneven and dangerous, especially for novice riders.

“We also urge drivers to take extra care on regional roads, too, given some have been washed away or will now have potholes or other associated flood-related damage.”

The Spinal Injuries Association is a not-for-profit organisation representing more than 1,500 members throughout the state.

As part of its constitution, it is dedicated to injury prevention and for the past 21 years, has operated a unique injury prevention program to educate school children about safety. In 2007, the Spinal Education Awareness Team (SEAT) shared life-changing safety messages with more than 63,000 children around the state.

Issued January 11 2008.