UAB Study Calls for Better Tracking of Spectator Injuries
Most people do not expect to go to a baseball game or a NASCAR race and leave in an ambulance, but it happens, and a group of UAB researchers says sports officials need to keep better track of it. In a paper published recently in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Fitness, they describe spectator injuries at sporting events and call for a nationwide database.
To gather their data, researchers combed the internet looking for documented incidents around the world dating back to 2000 and found 181 spectator injuries. Sixty-two of those were fatal. Some of the accidents were unrelated to the sporting event itself. Most happened during car or motorcycle racing, like when vehicles crash through a barrier into the crowd. Dr. Amit Momaya, an orthopedic surgeon at UAB and the study’s principal investigator, says their findings likely represent the tip of the iceberg.
“I think the number that we found in our study is well, well below what actually happens,” Momaya says, “because a lot of these (incidents) are not really reported or not really publicized. It’s usually the ones that are more gruesome, the ones that are caught on camera. Those are the ones that get social media attention.”
For example, researchers found six reported cases of people injured from a foul ball at a baseball game. Momaya says that seems low. Without accurate data, it is hard to know whether efforts to protect spectators, like extending the netting behind home plate, are effective. In their paper, UAB researchers advocate for a registry to track spectator injuries. They also call for taller and sturdier barriers to protect crowds.
Trump says ceasefire deal is near as Israeli strikes kill 138 Palestinians in Gaza
More than 60 of those killed were waiting for aid, according to Palestinian health officials. President Trump said Friday that talks over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are at a crucial stage.
President Trump says he wants to stage UFC fight on White House grounds
President Trump has announced that an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout will be held on the grounds of the White House next year, one of many events to be held to celebrate America's 250th birthday.
Russia hits Ukraine with largest aerial attack as Trump talks to Zelenskyy and Putin
Russian missiles and drones hammered Kyiv in an overnight attack, the largest aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital since the war began more than three years ago.
‘Antagonized for being Hispanic’: Growing claims of racial profiling in LA raids
Immigration agents are raiding known hubs for Latino workers: day laborer gathering spots, street vendor corners and car washes. Legal advocacy groups say their tactics are unconstitutional.
Why is the dollar off to a weak start this year?
The U.S. dollar had its worst start this year in more than half a century. Harvard University economics professor Kenneth Rogoff says President Trump is accelerating the decline.
17 everyday people share what freedom means to them in today’s America
This Independence Day, NPR wanted to know how the freedoms and ideals of the U.S. have been on readers' minds.
