Advice from a trauma surgeon: Injuries can be devastating when motorcyclists don’t wear helmets

WKRG interviews Dr. Linda Ding for a news story on 

the importance of wearing motorcycle helmets. 

Trauma alerts are called every day at USA Health University Hospital when someone with life-threatening injuries is rushed to the region’s only Level 1 trauma center. When a patient arrives, an inter disciplinary team of highly trained professionals have already assembled to begin immediate care.

Linda Ding, M.D., F.A.C.S., is one of the trauma surgeons leading the in-house team. Often, these alerts bring in someone riding a motorcycle who has been in a serious accident.

In 2018, University Hospital recorded 80 patients involved in motorcycle crashes, Ding said, adding that none of those patients died, highlighting the remarkable quality of care delivered. In 2017, there were 110 patients treated following motorcycle crashes at the hospital. Two of those patients did not survive their injuries, she said.

Despite the low mortality rate, the short- and long-term disabilities associated with motorcycle crashes cannot be understated, Ding said.

Located in Mobile, Ala., University Hospital has the only Level 1 trauma center in the region. Surgeons with advanced training in trauma and critical care, such as Ding, are physically in the hospital 24 hours a day, every day, to treat those with life-threatening injuries. As a major referral center, patients with critical injuries arrive from south Alabama, portions of northwest Florida and southern Mississippi.

WKRG News 5 interviewed Ding, an assistant professor of surgery at the USA Health College of Medicine, recently. She talked about the dangers of riding motorcycles and the traumatic injuries often caused when riders don't wear helmets.

Ding is the recipient of numerous awards for teaching excellence and is currently the co-director of the surgery clerkship at the USA College of Medicine. Ding is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the Society for Critical Care Medicine, and the Association for Surgical Education.

Watch the news story on WKRG: "Do motorcycle helmets really save lives?"