A 3-year-old boy died of massive head injuries on April 2, 2011, after falling off a children’s roller coaster in Illinois. The child was seated with his twin brother near the front of a roller …

A dip in a cool swimming pool on a hot summer day brings refreshment and fun to kids and adults alike. This time of year, kids can’t resist asking, on a nearly daily basis, “When …

Imagine this: you finally arrive at your dream vacation spot in sunny Florida. You get to the hotel, check-in, and begin a few weeks of fun. After visiting the theme parks, you decide to sit …

What could be better? Riding with friends or family through beautiful scenery, wind and water spray blowing by, with the occasional thrill of shooting through rapids. Whitewater rafting is an exciting recreational activity that first …

The red fire ant is now spread throughout the southern United States. Infestations have been reported in California and New Mexico. It is believed they originally came to the United States in the 1930s through the port in my home city of Mobile, Alabama. Cargo ships unloaded goods infested with the ants. Fire ants are most likely found outdoors, but they will come inside if it necessary for them to survive.

Everyone who rides knows there are safer things to do than get on a motorcycle and enjoy the acceleration, the wind, the flow of the bike through a series of curves and the freedom of two wheels. My Buell Ulysses takes me places I have never driven in my car and I’ve ridden through construction sites, forest trails and fields where my car could never go. Getting out and back without scuffing up your bike, your riding gear or worse requires recognizing hazards before they get you in trouble.

“Bang! Bang! You’re dead!” While it sounds lethal, the sentence is often uttered in play, during a child’s game of cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians. But in a home where firearms are kept, the world of make-believe can become all too real in the blink of an eye if essential safety measures are not followed and taught.

New research funded by NASA through the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) verifies the suction forces involved with pool intake pipe limb entrapments and that the release of vacuum can free the limb. In a separate report, the estimated number of seconds from start to finish in which eviscerations occur was also discovered. SATOP’s Florida center, the Technological Research and Development Authority and the Pool Safety Council, in conjunction with Florida Institute of Technology conducted a series of tests to confirm these groundbreaking results.

With winter coming to an end, many people have spent recent months enjoying outdoor activities that involve frozen bodies of water. However, as warmer weather approaches, ice fishing, ice skating, sledding, or just brisk walks in the woods can lead to people breaking through the ice and having a water emergency or drowning incident. Even experienced outdoorsmen have drowned when falling through the ice. It is estimated that nearly 8,000 people die each year from drowning.

There are 10.6 million skiers and snowboarders in the United States. During the 2009-2010 ski season, they made 59.7 million skier/snowboard visits to American ski areas and resorts. According to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), the ski resort lobbying and trade group, this season marked the second best for the industry.