In December 2010, a study published in the medical journal, Pediatrics analyzed sledding-related data over a period of 10 years, and found that almost 230,000 people suffered injuries during that period of time.
There are approximately 21,000 sledding injuries every year. More than 40% of these injuries involve children between the ages of 10 and 14. Not surprisingly, the most common injuries in these accidents are head injuries.
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, many of these injuries could have been prevented only if the child had been wearing a helmet at the time.
California brain injury attorneys advise the use of helmets to prevent sledding-related injuries among children. When the child is having fun on the snow, it can be easy to ignore the dangers that he is exposed to. For instance, a sled can reach a speed of between 20 and 35 mph. Head injuries can be seen in approximately 15 % of the sledding injuries that require a visit to the emergency rooms. In more than 40% of these cases, the child has suffered a brain injury. Wearing a helmet is the single most important thing that you can do to prevent traumatic brain injuries during a sledding accident.
Besides, it’s very important to make sure that children are sledding in a safe place. Avoid sledding near trees. Also watch out for obstacles like tree stumps, poles and fences. These may not be as clearly visible as trees, but the impact could be deadly in the event of an accident. Make sure that the sledding slope has a flat run off at the end. Avoid sledding in dangerous locations, like a slope where the bottom meets a street. Avoid sledding on a slope which leads into a frozen pond. It can be hard to stop in situations like this.
Many sledding-related injuries can be prevented if you invest in the right gear. Your children should be sledding in a sled that has a steering mechanism of some sort. They should ride it in a forward facing position, so that they can see where they’re going. Avoid sledding in an inflatable snow tube. These can’t be stopped in an emergency, and can’t be steered the way you want them to. Besides, when you hit an obstacle, children may be thrown off the tubes, and suffer an injury.
Take care to avoid collisions with other sledders. Make the children take turns coming down the hill. Don’t improvise and use homemade objects like a cardboard box or a tub as a sled. Buy a proper, real sled that can be steered, and that can reduce the risk of injury.
Older children must be taught to throw themselves off the sled when they are about to collide with an object.
About the author: The Reeves Law Group is a California law firm dedicated to the representation of personal injury victims. They invite you to visit their website For a free consultation on a traumatic brain injury matter.