Crash Dummy Kids Play Baseball

In 1998, more than 91,000 children andbatting box. Another study of sports equipment
adolescents ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospitalutilized crash dummies to analyze the baseball
emergency rooms for baseball injuries, and nearlyinjuries and deaths from being hit in the chest. A
26,000 children and adolescents ages 5 to 14previous study reported in the Clinic Journal of
were treated for softball-related injuries. BaseballSports Medicine (1992) studying protective sports
also has the highest fatality rate among sportsequipment had found that chest protectors and
for children and adolescents ages 5 to 14, withsofter baseballs provide no protection against
three to four persons dying from baseball injuriesdeath from chest impact. The purpose of the
each year. This is sobering to we parents whonew study evaluated current protective sports
grew up playing baseball on a nearby vacant lot.equipment that could favorably modify the
Sports equipment manufacturers are trying toincidence of baseball chest impact fatalities. A child
address our concerns about the safety of ourcrash dummy and a fifth percentile female Hybrid
kids, and the Crash Dummy Kids are helping usIII crash dummy were used to test chest
evaluate whether the new "safer" productsprotectors. The internal deflection and viscous
actually live up to their manufacturer's claims. Aresponse values obtained from the Hybrid III
soft baseball is a new addition to sportsdummy showed minimal reduction in response
equipment promoted by manufacturers aswhen chest protectors were used compared to
substantially reducing the risks of head injury forthe unprotected dummy. Even worse, when a
children who play baseball. Crash Dummy Kidsgeneric dosed cell foam chest protector was hit
helped researchers at the Institute forby a standard hard baseball, the impact force
Preventative Sports Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan,increased between 6 and 43%, and the
when they tested the risk of head injury from amomentum delivered increased between 10 and
hard baseball and nine types of softer baseballsI5%. When a softer core baseball was thrown
thrown at 60 miles per hour, a typical speed inagainst generic closed cell foam protection, the
Little League. The way the testing works is thatforce measured increased between IS and S8%,
the Crash Dummy Kids arrive at the test site,and the momentum delivered increased between
the researchers throw baseballs at them (well,14 and 18%. The results for chest protectors
actually, a machine throws the baseball) and loadwere really bad! Closed cell foam chest protectors
cells in the dummy's body report on the strengthprotectors, including ABS plastic hard shell-covered
of the impact. A study reported in the Octobergeneric closed cell foam, had only a marginal
issue of Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, showedeffect in reducing levels impact. The researchers
that the soft baseballs provided only modestconcluded that the chest protector itself and the
protection. One of the test series showed that avarious types of chest protector materials studied
player without a batting helmet, who is hit in thehave minimal protective effects on baseball
head with a standard hard baseball has a 20injuries and may actually exacerbate the impact
percent risk of serious head injury, and that thisforce to the chest. To date, no effective
risk only falls to 12-l6 percent when hit with a softpreventive sports equipment has been developed
baseball which when thrown at 60 miles per hourto eliminate or reduce chest injuries from baseball
still has a force of impact of over 1,000 pounds.impact in the pediatric population. Not only are the
Obviously soft baseballs aren't a substitute for anew products not safer, but our kids aren't as
batting helmet, and maybe we need to be thinkingsafe as we thought!
about using helmets all around, not just in the