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Cottage Q&A: What’s the proper first aid for a waterskier who breaks their leg?

A man on waterskis being towed by a line Photo by Shutterstock/leedsn

This article was originally published in the Summer 2017 issue of Cottage Life.

If my friend breaks a leg while waterskiing at the cottage, should I make him stay in the water until medical help arrives?—George Decker, via email

Please don’t. “In theory, it might make the injury hurt less,” says Anthony Sharp, a primary care paramedic with Ontario’s Ornge air ambulance service. “In the water, there is no pressure on the break or the muscle. It’s kind of like the leg being in an air cast.”

The problem? Staying in the water—which is generally colder than the air, and sometimes very cold—could cause shock to set in more quickly. “I can’t think of any situation where you’d want to keep an injured person in the water,” says Sharp. “Well, maybe if the person was waterskiing in a hot tub.”

But let’s assume this person is waterskiing in a lake. “There’s no prescribed way of rescuing someone,” says Sharp. “It depends on who’s there, and the resources you have at the time.” Your priorities should be to call for emergency medical help and to get him out of the water, moving him as little as possible. Get your friend somewhere safe, and get him dry. Then, keep him warm, comfortable, calm, and still.

Need-to-know cottage first aid for common kid injuries

Don’t give an injured person anything to eat or drink, warns Shane Eickmann, an injury prevention technical expert with the Canadian Red Cross. If the break needs surgery, this could cause complications. (Plus, putting food in the churning stomach of someone going into shock is a recipe for vomit.) If it’s a hot day, sips of water are okay, says Eickmann. But only water. “I hesitate to even say ‘clear liquids,’ because for a lot of people—in a stressful situation—that could mean alcohol.”

Now for a PSA echoed by every first responder, everywhere: take a first aid course. “That advice is more important than any other advice I can give,” says Sharp. “You may not believe it, but that training just kicks in. When the time comes, it’s just there.”

Have you ever had a medical emergency while alone at the lake?

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

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