More Hospital Incidents for this Bike Week 2017
Article Courtesy of Daytona News Journal Online | By Tony Holt | Posted March 24, 2017 and updated March 25, 2017
DAYTONA BEACH — An unusually high number of intensive care patients were admitted during this year’s Bike Week — making it one of the most dangerous Bike Weeks that Daytona Beach has seen in years.
Overall, trauma admissions spiked this year compared to the previous five years. There was a total of 69 Bike Week-related trauma patients wheeled through the doors at Halifax Health Medical Center during the 10-day event that concluded March 19, according to statistics provided by the hospital.
That number is significantly higher than all years dating back to 2013. The second highest total was Bike Week 2016, during which 54 Bike Week-related trauma patents were admitted to Halifax Health — the only trauma center in Volusia and Flagler counties.
“We have to be ready for anything that presents itself,” said Halifax Health spokesman John Guthrie, who disclosed scads of statistics that proved the notion that his hospital was monumentally busy this year — even by the standard set by Bike Week.
Guthrie pointed out that the high number of trauma patients mean more beds and space are occupied and staffing is maximized.


Guthrie declined to speculate on the attendance or hospitalization trends related to Bike Week. The weather was colder than normal this year, but considering the snowy conditions in the Northeast, a 50-degree day in Florida was better than the alternative of staying home for many motorcyclists. Therefore, attendance numbers still seemed high and the number of motorcycle accidents bore that out.
Daytona Beach had 268 traffic accidents during this year’s Bike Week and 66 of those involved motorcycles. The latter number is higher than any previous total dating back to 2012, according to police records.
Flagler had 95 total crashes during the 10-day event and 15 of them were motorcycle-related, said Flagler County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Laura Williams.
All the numbers related to patient intake at Halifax Health also suggest a busier-than-average Bike Week for 2017.
Each day throughout the year, the hospital averages a single trauma patient. The busiest day during Bike Week elicited nine trauma patients, said Lovelady.
The average age among trauma patients during Bike Week was 53. About 81 percent of patients were male, according to hospital statistics.