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.