Sledding Safety 101: sled away from the ER

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Only one thing can rival the fun of Christmas morning for kids in the South: the rare perfect snow day for sledding.

However, the seemingly innocent hobby accounts for 25,000 emergency room visits every year, according to Med Center Health.

Med Center Health paramedic Jim Williams advises, “Basically, use a little bit of common sense, or if you’re the parent you’ve got to be the common sense for your kid. Keep an eye on them [sledding], because they may think they’re invincible.”

Williams said looking for debris is the way to go when it comes to safe sledding.

He also said you should pick a sled you can steer.

Also, to every young dreamer’s dismay, Williams said kids should not try to be acrobats on the slopes. Building jumps can be a one way trip to an x-ray.

Williams also says parents should never pull their kids around sledding with a moving vehicle. This includes cars on the road or even ATVs in a field. The risk of hitting other cars, trees or just gaining too much momentum isn’t worth it.

“Just remember to be safe. You don’t want to turn something that’s fun into a visit to the emergency room,” said Williams.