By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Red Cross has reported that it attended 956
emergencies from Monday to Saturday, during Holy
Week. A total of 35 people died in accidents that
included vehicle accidents, gun, and knife attacks
and drowning. The majority of accidents were road
deaths. A total of 212 car crashes and 160 car
rollovers were reported.
The Red Cross statistics by Saturday of Holy Week
included: 26 people struck by vehicles, 186 people
at risk of drowning, one person lost in the
mountains, 107 emergencies due to falls from high
places, 32 people attacked with weapons or knives,
31 people intoxicated or poisoned, 27 people
electrocuted, 109 people with break bones, and 65
people attended in the hospital emergency rooms.
One of the latest deaths was of a five year old
girl who died in a hit and run accident in the
province of Guanacaste*.
Thousands of people use holidays during Holy Week
to go on vacation to beaches or mountains, which
causes an increase in accidents.
Red Cross officials call on people to increase
precautionary measures to prevent accidents and
deaths during trips to beaches or mountains.
Among the main recommendations by Red Cross
specialists are:
-Watch for warning flags indicating strong
currents.
-Check the weather, avoid the beach if there is
lightning in the forecast and wait at least 30
minutes after the last thunder boom before heading
back out to the sand.
-Know how to swim or if you're at the beach with a
child or adult who cannot swim, make sure everyone
has a well-fitting lifejacket handy. If you're
going boating, every passenger should wear a
properly-sized lifejacket at all times.
-Watch for rip currents. If you get pulled out,
stay calm, save your energy (let the current carry
you for a while), and keep breathing. Do not try
to swim against the current. Start horizontal
swimming to the shore until you're out of the
current. Then turn and swim diagonally towards the
shore. If you cannot make it to the shore, wave
your arms and make noise so someone can see or
hear you and get help.
-Pick a swimming spot close to a lifeguard.
Lifeguards are there for a reason - they know and
can see things about the beach that most
beachgoers do not.
-Stay sober. Alcohol does not only affect
judgment; it can also dehydrate you, increasing
the likelihood of heat-related sicknesses.
-Do not swim for 24 hours after using marijuana.
Never swim after using any judgment-impairing
drug.
-Save your skin. Keep the red at bay by slathering
on a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher,
and make sure you have a source of shade - think
hats, umbrellas, tents - readily available
(especially during the peak hours from 10 am to 4
pm ). Eyes can get sunburned, too, so do not
forget some shades.
-Watch for sun sickness/stroke. A few hours of
baking under the sun can cause some serious
symptoms and may lead to severe sickness. Heat
exhaustion, heat stroke, and sun poisoning can
result from dehydration and extended exposure to
high temperatures, so make sure to drink plenty of
water
The Red Cross developed a special plan for
attending accidents during Holy Week. This
operation included more than a thousand officers,
145 vehicles, 14 boats, 65 mobile stands on roads
and 65 first aid posts on the beaches, and the 911
emergency line attending calls 24/7.
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Have
you been part of an emergency during Holy Week? We would like to know your
thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com
*Link to reach the place map.
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