That year's first significant snowfall kept Middle Tennessee emergency rooms busy over the weekend after more than two dozen people were injured in sledding related accidents.
One accident, involving a 13-year-old boy in East Nashville, happened after the teenager fell from the top of a 8-foot tall drainage culvert after losing control of a tube while sledding down a hill.
"During our snow last winter we had serious and permanent brain and spinal cord injuries, this winter we’ve been fortunate we had about 20 – 25 injuries most broken bones and sprains," said Dr. Don Arnold, a pediatrician at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.
According to Arnold, most accidents are avoidable by simply picking a hill that doesn't have trees, poles or other obstructions on it.
"Most of those variables are controllable and avoidable, by making sure your children sled on hills where there are no obstructions like buildings, fences and poles you can avoid most injuries. As a parent I know when snow occurs the happiness can overwhelm our common sense, we need to slow down and think about how to do this safely," he said.
Fortunately the teenager was released after a few hours in the Emergency Room. Doctors said the most prevalent injury they've seen since Friday were broken wrists.
