Walking into water the only way to prevent injury

While there’s no need to tape up your windows or secure lawn furniture as cyclone warnings abate, extra caution should still be taken around local watering holes.

Each year, nearly one Queenslander every month sustains a spinal cord injury from water-related accidents such as diving into creeks or rivers without checking the depth of the water.

Spinal Injuries Association Acting CEO Frances Porter said it was impossible to tell what lay beneath the surface of any body of water just by looking at it.

“The recent rain and threats of flooding mean debris in local watering holes will have moved,” Ms Porter said.

“These bodies of water will also have different currents that may be completely different to what you’re used to.

“An area that may have been good for swimming previously may now be littered with rocks or logs that have shifted from the heavy rain.”

Ms Porter stressed the only way to check the depth of water was to walk in.

“It’s better to stub your toe than to dive into water without checking what’s beneath the surface,” she said.

“The few extra seconds it takes to walk in could save you from a permanent injury such as quadriplegia or paraplegia.

“At present there is no cure for a spinal cord injury; simple preventative measures are the only means of staying safe and injury free.”

Currently, water-related accidents are the third most common cause of all spinal cord injuries in Queensland.

For more information on the Spinal Injuries Association, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2010, please visit www.spinal.com.au.

Issued 27 January.