Traumatic injury is the leading cause of death during the first four decades of life. Most trauma is preventable, “depending on the choices we make and the prevention we initiate,” says Upstate Trauma Outreach Coordinator Steve Adkisson, RN.

“I tell people that you‘re going to have that feeling --I call it the roller coaster feeling--that feeling in the pit of your gut. It‘s your instinct saying something‘s not right. You get it when you‘re in a roller coaster and you‘re going over the top and your instincts say ‘hey get out of here, you don‘t belong here,‘ but we do it anyway.

“Prevention, a lot of time, is listening to those instincts.

“With younger people, I tell them, you‘re going to be with someone and they‘re going to be doing something that you know they shouldn‘t be. Your roller coaster feeling is going to kick in. Learn to listen to that feeling. Keep away from those situations.”

Listen to Adkisson on this subject: Health Link on Air radio show

Download the text of his interview: Health Link on Air transcript