Ga$ Fuels E.R. Boom 'Cycle'

NY Post—August 4, 2008

As gas prices continue to soar, another statistic is also swelling: the number of cyclists and scooter enthusiasts that end up in the E.R.

"I am going to be operating on three patients this week from motorcycle accidents," said Dean Lorich, M.D., associate director of orthopedic trauma surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. "It's quadrupled in the last four weeks to two to three a week, compared to one big one a month during the summer."

New riders, who are turning to two wheels over four to beat gas prices, are often inexperienced and as a result are pushing up the E.R. statistic, according to Lorich.

Read the full story at nypost.com.