NEW ORLEANS (press release) – As you pack up your king cake, your ladder and your bead bag, don’t forget to go over tips with your family to keep everyone happy and safe.
“We see a fair amount of preventable accidents and injuries every Carnival season, many of which can be avoided if you follow a few good safety guidelines,” said Dr. Prateek Adhikari, emergency department medical director at Tulane Medical Center in downtown New Orleans. “But if a life threatening situation occurs, we strongly encourage you to call 911. Don’t try to get the person to a hospital yourself – emergency medical services can get to you faster than you can get to us, especially if streets are crowded or blocked.”
Following are a few simple safety guidelines:
- Don’t fight with others for beads.
- Don’t bend down to pick up anything (to prevent fingers from getting stepped on by other parade-goers.)
- Bring healthy snacks to eat between pieces of king cake.
- Drink plenty of water, especially if you are drinking alcohol.
- Don’t climb on structures to get closer to the riders.
If you have small children:
- Put your name and contact information on their clothing or arms.
- Warn them not to get too close to the floats.
- Be wary of what they catch – especially for toddlers, who could choke on broken beads or the eye of a stuffed animal.
- Set up a meeting spot in case they get lost.
- Tell them to find a police officer if they do get lost or feel threatened by another person.
- Bring plenty of hand sanitizer.
In the event a severe accident or life-threatening injury does occur, the emergency departments at Tulane Medical Center in downtown New Orleans and Tulane Lakeside Hospital in Metairie are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and are entirely staffed with board-certified emergency medical physicians, as well as certified emergency nurses. Visit TulaneHealthcare.com to see average ER wait times.
