Dublin Fire Brigade paramedics are warning about the dangers associated with sport after a young hurler was injured over the weekend by the helmet he was wearing during a match.
In shocking images posted on social media by the rescue service, the boy's hand is penetrated by a wire from the helmet.
A spokesperson for the DFB said they could not reveal when, where and how the accident happened, as the boy, his parents and Club asked to remain anonymous, but said the type of injury he suffered “is not commonplace.”
“The child we believe is doing very well. The pictures were provided on basis on anonymity of both the child and the Club by DFB.”
The boy was taken to Tallaght Hospital following the accident in West Dublin and it is believed he did not suffer any nerve damage and the wire did not hit any bone.
DFB said on Twitter: “It comes as no surprise that we see an increase in sports-related injuries at the weekend. This weekend one of our crews had to deal with a penetrating injury with a hurling helmet.
“The helmet had to be removed before the patient could be transported to the (hospital) Emergency Department.”
In response one member of the public tweeted: “Not sure if this happened in this particular case but a lot of players were cutting bars for better visibility/peripheral vision and it totally weakens the whole face-guard structure. Hope the player is ok and back playing soon.”
The GAA made the wearing of helmets in hurling mandatory in 2010, leading to a significant reduction in injuries treated by hospital emergency departments.
Wearing a helmet fitted with a face-guard reduces the injury risk ten-fold.
Meanwhile, hurlers were warned against modifying their helmets after another club player had his hand pierced by a metal bar from an opponent’s helmet earlier this year.
The incident is highlighted in a case study in the Irish Medical Journal, in which the authors call for heightened awareness around the dangers of modifying hurling helmets.
