Community Corner

That Email Forward About Bryn Mawr Rehab? Not True

The email claims, falsely, that 16 teens at the hospital suffered brain trauma after texting-related accidents.

The new banning text messaging behind the wheel calls to mind a recent email forward that many in the area have received.

The message, which also circulated on Facebook, went something like this:

"A guy who works at Bryn Mawr Rehab said today they have 94 beds at the treatment facility, 16 of them brain trauma patients between the ages of 16-19. 11 of them girls. ALL 16 kids from texting and driving. And that's just in our area. Young lives changed forever. Beyond tragic and unnecessary."

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A sobering statistic if it's real. But, is it?

"That is so not true," said Ann Zalkind, who handles communications for (BMRH) and is familiar with the myth.

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In fact, BMRH put out a statement in September debunking the story:

The inpatient population at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital does not include a significant number of people who have been in motor vehicle accidents as a result of distracted driving. We do not have a significant number of patients in the age range of 16-19, male or female.

The inference that we have recently seen an epidemic of young female victims of distracted driving automobile accidents is false. The highly skilled physicians and therapists of Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital do treat many people every year who have sustained life-altering injuries in motor vehicle accidents, with an excellent track record of outstanding recovery. But the scenario described in the Facebook posting, thankfully, does not exist.

Zalkind said that, despite the dubious claims in the email, distracted and impaired driving is a serious problem, which is why the hospital offers Cruisin' Not Boozin' to local schools. In that program, accident victims speak to students about the importance of safety on the road.

According to BMRH, "More than 500,000 students from elementary school through college in the tri-state region have participated in CNB presentations since the program began in 1989."


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