A head injury can abruptly take the fun out of a day of sledding. And unfortunately,
these accidents are more common than you might think.
Doug Paul, DO, FACOS, Trauma Medical Director, lent his expertise to a recent
Columbus Dispatch article on sledding-related injuries. “We see a good bit of
head trauma — facial fractures and head injuries,” he said of cases at Grant.
According to the article, head injuries occur in more than a third of sledding
accidents, and many involve traumatic brain injury. In 2010, six patients were
treated at Grant for sledding-related injuries. These accidents are largely preventable,
which is why experts caution sled riders to wear a helmet, to make sure
the course is obstacle-free, and never to go sledding alone.