13-year-old singer from Minsk almost died while riding an electric scooter
Young artist Makar Tarunda was admitted to intensive care.
Makar Tarunda is a 13-year-old singer from Minsk. He is a finalist of the "Big Stage" festival, winner of the "Khali-Khalo-2022" competition, and a scholarship recipient of the special presidential fund for supporting talented youth.
Recently, the boy published a photo in his stories showing him in a wheelchair. Bruises on his face and arm are clearly visible, one of his hands is bandaged. He captioned the photo: «Friends, life is one. I almost lost mine because of a scooter. Take care of yourselves».
The boy's friends started reposting his photo and added details to the story. They said that last Friday, Makar was riding an electric scooter at high speed when he unexpectedly hit a stone and fell. As a result, the 13-year-old schoolboy was admitted to intensive care with a ruptured spleen and numerous injuries.
Meanwhile, the Republican Center for Pediatric Neurosurgery acknowledges that this is a significant problem. Many children are now admitted to doctors precisely due to injuries sustained from scooters: either they were riding them themselves, or they were hit by adult scooter riders.
In just one week in May, over 30 patients sought treatment at this RCCH: 11 of them were hospitalized with quite serious injuries (three ended up in intensive care, two underwent operations).
The head of the center, chief freelance specialist in pediatric neurosurgery at the Ministry of Health, Mikhail Talabayev, said that he asks injured patients about the causes of their falls: «More than half of them don't understand why they fell. And they don't understand not because they don't remember or lost consciousness, but because they truly don't understand what they ran over. Whether it was an obstacle, a pothole, or something else — the child didn't even realize».
He explained the danger of riding an electric scooter: «Firstly, it has small wheels. And the smaller the wheel, the more sensitive the means of transport is to various unevennesses on the road, which means a higher chance of falling. Secondly, high speed of movement. A speed of 25 kilometers per hour is more than enough to sustain a serious injury in a fall or collision».
For those who still do not want to give up riding an electric scooter, the doctor advises following simple rules: choose specially designated areas for riding (at least because there is a lower probability of encountering obstacles or unevenness there), and do not neglect personal protective equipment, including a helmet.
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