Lil Wayne accident: Why skateboarders should wear helmets
Grammy Award-winning rap star Lil Wayne fell during a skateboarding accident at a skate park in St. Louis on Aug. 21, where he was in town to rap at the city鈥檚 outdoor Verizon amphiteather. No word on whether he was trying to 鈥渟tunt,鈥� (slang for 鈥渟how off鈥�), or was just practicing a new trick.
After the fall, he tweeted, 鈥淭he Lou was good but I busted my head at the sk8park! 9stitches! Gnarly gash over my eye!鈥� The top-selling New Orleans rapper followed that tweet with, "Thx to u all for the concern but pls know that I will eventually take even harder falls if I wanna get better.鈥�
Mr. Wayne, who is an avid sports fan and has appeared on and written blogs for ESPN, hit the nail on the head. The more difficult the skateboarding tricks are inherently more dangerous, which is why many skateboard pros wear helmets.
cause about 50,000 visits to emergency rooms each year in the United States, and 1,500 children and adolescents are hospitalized. Helmets and other protective gear are recommended, especially for skaters that do tricks.
Like motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws, , but most are aimed at minors. In New York, for example, skateboarders under the age of 14 must wear a helmet. California requires any skateboarder under the age of 18 to wear a helmet. And some municipal skate parks require all skateboarders to use a helmet.
At the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, President Obama encouraged families to focus on education, sayings, 鈥淥ur kids can鈥檛 all aspire to be Le Bron or Lil Wayne.鈥� But since he is a role model, Lil Wayne could set example for children if he wore a helmet.
