Pate Rehabilitation Joins Forces with Fort Worth Safe Communities Coalition to Educate Local Youth on Bicycle Helmet …

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Pate Rehabilitation, delivering evidence-based treatment and support programs for individuals recovering from acquired brain injuries, today announced its participation in the Fort Worth Safe Communities Coalitions bicycle helmet safety event.

Pate will be handing out their donated helmets on Friday, August 31, at Forest Oak Middle School to students who arrive on their bicycles, skateboards or scooters without any head protection.

Students wearing a helmet will be rewarded with a free ice cream coupon donated by Texas Dairy Queen, Blue Bell Ice Cream and Braums Ice Cream and Dairy Store. Those seen not wearing a helmet will be educated on the citys bicycle helmet ordinance by participating Fort Worth police officers and firefighters. In Fort Worth, children and teens under age 18 are required by law to wear a helmet at all times while riding a bicycle, skateboard or scooter. The penalty for failure to wear a helmet is $50 for the first incident and $100 for the second.

As a member of the Fort Worth Safe Communities Coalition Child Injury Task Force, we are honored to work together in their efforts to increase helmet safety awareness and help prevent bicycle-related injuries this school year, said Kent Hayden, president of Pate Rehabilitation. Brain injuries can be a life altering event that no one wants to see anyone go through, especially children. While there has been great improvement in the treatment of brain injuries, prevention will always outweigh the cure.

According to Safe Kids USA, each year approximately 135 children die from bicycle-related injuries and more than 267,000 nonfatal bicycle injuries occur. Helmets could prevent an estimated 75 percent of fatal head injuries and up to 45,000 head injuries to children riding bikes each year.

Based on data from the trauma registry at Fort Worths Cook Childrens Healthcare System, a total of 422 children were injured via bicycles, skateboard, roller-skates/rollerblade and scooters over the past five years. Of those, only 10.6 percent were wearing any type of protective gear during the incident.

This project is being coordinated by the Fort Worth Safe Communities Coalition, which is seeking Safe Communities designation for Fort Worth, Texas.

About Pate Rehabilitation

Pate Rehabilitation is dedicated to the treatment of individuals with acquired brain injuries, helping them return to the highest quality of life possible. With facilities in Anna, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, Pate Rehabilitation provides personalized, evidence-based neuropsychological, cognitive, occupational, physical and speech therapies to advance and accelerate patient recovery. Recognizing that the impact of brain injury extends beyond the patient, Pate serves as a compassionate resource for family members, helping them meet the practical and emotional challenges of caring for persons with brain injuries. In addition to therapy, Pate is a leader in research, advocacy and education to advance understanding in the prevention of, and effective care for, brain injuries. To learn more about Pate Rehabilitation or acquired brain injury and its treatment, please visit http://www.paterehab.com or call 972.241.9334.

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Pate Rehabilitation Joins Forces with Fort Worth Safe Communities Coalition to Educate Local Youth on Bicycle Helmet ...