Are you in need of a FREE bike helmet?
The Texas Military Forces are making sure kids stay safe.
As part of the “Hard Hats for Little Heads” program, the Texas Military Forces will be giving away free bicycle helmets.
Over 500 helmets will be given away on a “first come, first serve” basis.
The giveaway starts Monday, July 25th – Thursday, July 28th, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Friday, July 29th from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fort Ringgold Middle School at 1 South Fort Ringgold in Rio Grande City.
Starting Monday, July 25th, free healthcare services will be giving out valleywide thanks to Operation Lone Star.
The free helmet giveaway is part of a statewide effort launched by the Texas Medical Association in 1994.
The program is designed to educate Texas children and their parents about how to prevent head injuries by wearing a helmet when bicycling, in-line skating, skateboarding, and when riding scooters.
Col. Charles Bauer, MD, an emergency physician and trauma surgeon said, “Children should be wearing these helmets whenever they are engaged in activities where they can fall and injure their heads.
He told Action 4 News he’s frequently seen injured children in the trauma center with concussions or worse that could have been prevented by the child wearing a helmet.”
Dr. Bauer went on, saying “The first concern is getting the helmets issued to children. The second one is that parents need to make sure their children are wearing them. A helmet hanging on a garage wall is of no use at all.”
The event is sponsored by Texas Military Forces, the Texas Medical Association, and the Texas Medical Association Foundation. The bicycle helmet giveaway is taking place at the same time as an emergency training exercise is happening at Ringgold Middle School.
On average, 250 children in the United States under the age of 14 die each year because of a bicycle crash. Another 300,000 children are treated in emergency rooms for severe head injuries. Many of these accidents could have been prevented if the children had worn bicycle helmets.
“Wearing a bicycle helmet is such a simple way to help ensure a child’s health and safety,” said Dr. Brian Smith, Regional Medical Director of the Department of State Health Services. Any child can receive a free helmet.
Head injury is the most common cause of death and serious disability from bike crashes. Bicycle helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent, yet only about 40 percent of cyclists wear one when they ride.
This event is not a part of the on-going humanitarian mission, Operation Lone Star.
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