For many people, Memorial Day weekend is a time to honor and mourn those who died serving in the United States military, or a time for parades and picnics. But for doctors and nurses who work in emergency departments and critical care units, it's also the start of what they call "trauma season."

Drownings. Boating accidents that are often fueled by alcohol. Motorcycle crashes as more people hit the roads. Falls into fire pits. Propane injuries from grilling. Injuries from fireworks.

Doctors from Backus Hospital in Norwich and Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London shared these examples of traumatic injuries they see more in the summer. Since talking last week, there have been heartbreaking headlines from the holiday weekend.

A wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 in Guilford early Sunday morning left four people dead. A Westerly man, charged with driving under the influence of drugs, on Sunday afternoon in Massachusetts crashed into five motorcycles from a Connecticut motorcycle club, seriously injuring eight people. A motorcyclist died in Norwich early Sunday night.

A man drowned in a pond in Lisbon on Sunday afternoon. Authorities are searching for a missing boater at Candlewood Lake in Brookfield, after police received a report Sunday night that a boater jumped into the water and didn't resurface. Wethersfield police are investigating a body found in the Connecticut River on Monday morning.

The leading cause of death in 2020 for people ages 1 to 44 was unintentional injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More kids ages 1 to 4 died by drowning than from any other cause.

"A lot of it is preventable, and a lot of it is supremely tragic, because who are we losing? We're losing young folks, and those are the deaths that hurt the most," said Dr. Gary Kaml, medical director of trauma and surgical critical care at Backus.

Kaml also said that more than half of boat-related fatalities in Connecticut are alcohol-related.

"I think it boils down to poor judgment, where just like on the roadways, there can be an excess of speed, diminished awareness of other boaters, and by extension, if you're the one drunk and end up in the water, maybe a decreased ability to swim," Kaml said.

Dr. Kyle McClaine, chief of emergency services, added that people should never swim alone or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and that it's important for parents to have someone designated to watch kids who are swimming.

"Parents have to focus their attention even when socializing with other parents," he said. Jennifer Monahan, an emergency and critical care nurse, said people assume a drowning will involve loud splashing but that drownings are "typically very quiet."

Trauma program manager Renee Malaro said Backus has seen "some really horrible accidents" from all-terrain vehicles and utility task vehicles the past few years.

McClaine chimed in that people don't see things like four wheelers, golf carts and Gator utility vehicles as being as dangerous as cars, but there's risk when it's dark and there's alcohol involved.

He said whether talking about a boat, jet-ski or kayak, "a pattern that brings people to the hospital for evaluation is accidents due to the fact there's a combination of low light, substances, intoxication, distraction."

Another darkness-related injury McClaine has seen is people tripping and falling into fire pits, around which there may be uneven footing. He said Backus has seen "horribly burned children that fell into fire pits."

Kaml said falls also happen from "hold-my-beer type injuries" where people "are jumping off roofs and things like that."

At Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, trauma director Dr. Stephanie Joyce Oesten said she sees an increase in motor vehicle collisions "because the sheer number of people, especially in this area, increases."

In a newly released report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 42,915 people died in motor vehicle crashes last year, which would be a 10.5% increase over 2020 and the highest since 2005.

Oesten's first advice is for people to wear their seatbelts, not text and drive, and not drive while intoxicated. She also encourages people on bicycles, motorcycles and even skateboards to wear helmets.

"Wearing a helmet prevents significant injury to people's brain, and that is actually the hardest thing to treat as a surgeon, is injury to the brain," Oesten said. "It can be devastating because it's a simple, easy way to prevent a devastating injury."

She also sees a lot of child and even pet drownings when a pool isn't properly locked or there's no supervision.

Oesten expects to see a lot more traumatic injuries this summer because she expects people to travel more, as travel restrictions and mask mandates have been lifted. She said hospitals are already under strain, especially considering some patients didn't see a doctor during the pandemic and are therefore sicker.

e.moser@theday.com