With the snow and ice from a major storm creating what’s become known as “snowcrete” in the D.C. region, area hospitals and rescue personnel said they’ve seen an uptick in slips, falls and serious sledding-related incidents due to unshoveled sidewalks and icy hillsides.
While it’s typical to see these injuries after any snowfall, the “snowcrete” has led to more severe accidents, especially related to sledding, said Adam Kochman, medical director of pediatric emergency medicine at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children.
“We’ve seen the full gamut, from orthopedic fractures to people sledding into tree branches or other objects,” Kochman said.
Kids are sledding on snow with ice on top of it, so they’re going faster — and farther — than under normal, lighter snow conditions.
In Virginia, a boy who was playing in the snow was rescued after he fell into a storm drain in the Fairfax area. And in Texas, two teenage girls died after the sled they were riding, which was being towed behind a vehicle, hit a curb and struck a tree, according to news reports.
At MedStar Health in D.C., Humaira Ashraf, a sports medicine physiatrist, said its facilities have seen an increase in sled-related accidents and slips and falls.
She said she understands that people want to go outside and have fun in the snow, but it’s important to be careful.
There’s a high risk in sledding, she said, for concussion-related injuries. She advised parents to have children wear a bike or skateboarding helmet when sledding.
“Be adamant,” Ashraf said, “about riding on sleds feet first” and not headfirst, because you can have a serious brain or spinal cord injury if you fall off. You can also brace yourself better with your feet and legs.
Experts shared these tips on how to stay safe:
- Walk like a penguin. Put your feet facing slightly outward and legs wide so you can keep your center of gravity.
- Don’t be distracted with cellphones or bags in your hands when walking on possibly slippery or snow-covered sidewalks.
- Don’t walk in the street. Walk on top of the snow on the sidewalk, even if it’s not shoveled. Vehicles can’t always see pedestrians, especially at night, in the road.
- Remember that ice isn’t always visible. It’s best to walk during daylight on icy patches if you must and not at night.
- Slow down. Whether you’re walking or driving, these aren’t normal snowy conditions, experts said, so allow extra time.
- If you sled, look down a hill to make sure you won’t run into parked cars, trees, fences, signs or rocks. And remember — steep hills with especially icy surfaces means you’ll go faster. If you hit something, it will have higher, harder impact.
- Dress warmly. Prolonged exposure in frigid, cold weather can be dangerous.
- Do not walk or try to ice skate on rivers or ponds — they’re not fully frozen. Water moves even underneath ice, and rivers, creeks and ponds still have currents.
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