Stay Safe While Sledding in New Rochelle

Now that the snowstorm is one for the history books, it’s time to start thinking about ways to enjoy all the white powdery stuff that’s on the ground.

Sledding is probably one of the first things to come to mind, and it’s important to do it safely.

And it can be done safely.

Dr. Darshan Patel, chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, said his department handles dozens of children injured while sledding, snow tubing and tobogganing.

“These injuries range from severe bruises and broken bones to internal injuries, fractured skulls and brain trauma,” he said.

Geralyn Flaherty, R.N., clinical director of emergency services at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and Westchester Medical Center explained that once sleds and snow tubes start going down a hill, they pick up speed and can become extremely hard for a child to control.

“As a result, children sustain injuries when their sleds strike trees, fences and other sledders,” she said. “Often, the severity of the injury is compounded by the weight of a parent riding on the sled with the child.”

The injuries are preventable, Flaherty said.

Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital suggests the following tips to keep sledding safe:

• Keep sledders away from motor vehicles.
• Children should be supervised while sledding.
• Keep young children separated from older children.
• Sledding feet first or sitting up, instead of lying down head-first, may prevent head injuries.
• Consider having your child wear a helmet while sledding.
• Use steerable sleds, not snow disks or inner tubes. Avoid sledding in crowded areas.
• Sleds should be structurally sound and free of sharp edges and splinters, and the steering mechanism should be well lubricated.
• Sled slopes should be free of obstructions like trees or fences, be covered in snow, free of ice and not be too steep (slope of less than 30 degrees), and end with a flat runoff.

And after all the safe fun on the slopes, Patel has one final suggestion.

Families should end their sledding day with warm blankets and cups of hot chocolate and not with a visit to our Pediatric Emergency Department,” he said.