Can helmets and infant carriers be used to help save lives in the event of a violent storm?

After the violent swarm of tornadoes that devastated the South last April, Dr. Mark Baker at Children’s Hospital of Alabama made a startling revelation.

“Helmets appeared to be protective against the most serious injury in a tornado, which is a head injury,” he said.

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Baker pointed to the case of a young boy who was wearing a baseball helmet when he was pulled out of his house by the violent winds.

“He was thrown at least as high as a telephone pole and there was no major injury,” Baker said in amazement.

Then there were two babies, just two and nine weeks old. Both were in infant carriers when the tornadoes hit. In both cases, the houses they were in collapsed around them.

“They were uninjured in spite of the fact that in one case, a parent was killed right next to them,” he said.

There’s no telling how many lives could be saved by helmets and infant carriers when tornadoes strike. But Baker thinks the CDC should recommend their use as an additional low-cost, highly effective safety measure. WSB meteorologist Kirk Mellish already recommends the use of baby carriers and helmets. He pointed out in his February 7th blog about lessons from Alabama that most tornado deaths result from blunt force trauma to the head.