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According to the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, sledding down neighborhood hills has sent a whopping 200,000 people to the emergency room over the last 10 years, 70 percent of which were children.
During a typical winter, the hospital cares for dozens of these children after sledding accidents, officials said. Many of the injuries include bruises, cuts, broken bones, and abdominal and brain traumas.
These injuries can result from crashes into trees, fences, and other sledders, hospital officials said, adding that they can be worsened when a parent rides with a child and adds their weight to the equation.
To prevent such incidents from occurring, the hospital gave the following tips:
- Do not sled near motor vehicles;
- Watch children while they sled;
- Keep young children separate from older children;
- Sled feet-first or sitting up instead of lying down head-first to prevent head injuries;
- Have children wear helmets while sledding;
- Use steerable sleds instead of snow disks or tubes, and do not sled in crowded areas;
- Use sleds that are structurally sound and without splinters or sharp edges;
- Do not sled on slopes that have obstructions such as trees or fences or that are too steep—slopes should be less than 30 degrees and should end with a flat runoff.
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