In January 2015, a 7-year-old boy was sledding in his backyard in Grand Forks with friends when he crashed headfirst into a snow fort. The accident paralyzed him.
Carma Hanson, the coordinator of Safe Kids Grand Forks, said the incident cast a spotlight on the potential risks of sledding. Approximately 25,000 children under age 14 nationally get hurt each year from sledding accidents, she said.
“That was a very public incident that occurred, and so I think that there’s a lot more people that know that should be on their radar,” Hanson said. Safe Kids Grand Forks is a coalition led by Altru Health that works to prevent unintentional injuries to children.
Dr. Billy Haug Jr., a primary care doctor in sports medicine at Altru Health, said the orthopedic department sees approximately 20 patients for sledding injuries each year. He personally sees one or two such injuries every few weeks.
Haug and the coalition have several recommendations for parents to prevent head injuries to children from sledding accidents. First, Hanson said, children should wear winter sports helmets and ensure they fit properly. She recommended that parents giving winter sports equipment as Christmas gifts include safety gear to get children to form habits of wearing it regularly. The coalition office sells helmets for $25.
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“We encourage children and adolescents and adults to wear helmets with downhill skiing, and this is a form of downhill activity that can be very dangerous,” Haug said.
“Head injuries are obviously the most critical to prevent because of the fact that they can have lifelong consequences,” Hanson said. She also recommended children sled feet first so their heads do not take the brunt of the impact if they crash.
A recent story from Minnesota Public Radio reported that an analysis of winter sports injuries from four regional hospitals over the past two winters showed head injuries from sledding are as common as those sustained from skiing and snowboarding. At the hospitals, head trauma comprised one-third of all sledding-related visits to the emergency rooms.
Choosing a location to sled is important, Hanson said. She recommended avoiding areas with lots of trees. Children also should not climb or sled on large piles of snow formed as a result of snow removal, since they are often near traffic.
“Those big hills are pretty intriguing to little kids to either climb up and go sledding or slide down without a sled,” Hanson said. “Anytime they’re in the path of where there could be oncoming traffic, such as a parking lot, it could be dangerous.”
Slopes covered with ice are always riskier than snowy hills, Hanson added, because they offer less traction and control. Sleds with handles or ropes for steering and padding to cushion a crash will also make sledding safer.
“Sledding can be enjoyable, it’s something that you can do as a family and it’s a way to be outside,” Haug said. “But there’s some precautions that should be taken.”
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