Urgent care clinics, hospitals seeing weather-related injuries
Winter storms Uri and Viola brought extreme winter weather to Nashville this week, and Nashville residents are taking to the hills to sled, ski and participate in winter activities they can’t usually enjoy. With up to four inches of snow in some places, conditions are perfect for sledding, however our team of Nashville urgent care providers advise caution with winter activities. Here are our tips for safe outdoor winter fun:
- Always sled feet-first, never head first, to protect your head & neck
- Wear a helmet (bike will do!) when sledding
- Don’t sled into areas with trees or bushes or areas near bodies of water
- Don’t walk onto icy ponds or lakes
- If your skin starts to burn or goes numb or if it turns dark or dusky, get inside as these are signs of early frost bite
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NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – Enjoying the snow can be plenty of fun, but you can get hurt if you’re not careful. Urgent care clinics and hospitals are already treating people for injuries.
“I’ve lived in Nashville my whole life. I’ve definitely never gotten the chance to ski on the capitol,” Taylor Williams from Nashville said. Williams was seen skiing on the hill by the Tennessee State Capitol. A new slope can be unpredictable even for someone with experience.
News4 watched as Williams made it down the hill and — wiped out.
“I was trying to stop before we go into the street right there. So, I kind of just set back on your butt and try to get the skis out from underneath you,” Williams said. Williams said he’s fine, but that’s not the case for everyone.
Urgent care clinics like Complete Health Partners are seeing people get hurt.
“Most of it has been sledding, to be honest,” Dr. David Sparks with Complete Health Partners said. Dr. Sparks said they’ve treated around a half dozen people so far. He explained what he’s seen since the winter storm hit.
“Poor kid slid into a tree and the branch cut his cheek. I’ve seen a couple of people, all of them kids, with back injuries even where they’ve fallen off of the sled and hit trees or curbs,” Dr. Sparks said.
For Williams, he’s not surprised.
“There’s a lot of people out here sledding with all kinds of objects and definitely some big wipeouts going this fast,” Williams said.
News4 saw people with floats and even a laundry basket.
While the snow sticks around, Williams is taking it all in while he can.
“We’ve got a few more days it looks like. So, you might see us tomorrow,” Williams said.
If you’re going to be sledding or skiing, the urgent care doctor said to watch out for traffic, wear a helmet, and make sure you’re bundled up to stay warm and to help cushion an injury.
News4 also checked in with Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
They said between Monday and Tuesday, they’ve seen more than a dozen injuries related to the weather.