Dangers of falling snow and ice
Being hit by falling ice can be dangerous. In some cases, it can lead to life-threatening injuries.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 After a major snowstorm,
00:01 you may see a caution sign around sidewalks.
00:04 It's to warn pedestrians about melting
00:06 ice that may fall from tall buildings
00:09 at one intersection in Chicago.
00:11 Cones were placed around several
00:13 chunks of ice that fell from a
00:15 building that houses a nail salon.
00:17 If you aren't careful,
00:18 a direct hit could land you in an
00:21 emergency room depending on the
00:22 size and the shape of the ice.
00:24 That's falling.
00:25 It could be any number of injuries,
00:27 so you know head injury or if you're
00:29 getting a pulse in the face or the
00:31 extremity it can cause anything from
00:33 bruising to also lacerations.
00:34 Doctor Tom Waters is an emergency
00:36 medicine physician at the Cleveland
00:38 Clinic Medical Center in Ohio.
00:39 He says being hit by ice is not
00:41 the most common winter injury,
00:43 but it does happen and it
00:45 can quickly lead to issues.
00:46 Much more common are slip and falls,
00:49 so we may see them in conjunction
00:51 to somebody gets hit by a piece
00:53 of falling ice and then slips
00:54 and falls to the ground.
00:56 If you want to avoid a trip to the
00:58 hospital, Doctor Water says to pay
01:00 attention to the signs in your
01:02 surroundings after it snows, you
01:03 know, right next to buildings and
01:05 awnings and things are going to
01:07 be your most dangerous spot.
01:08 So staying away from walking very
01:10 close to buildings and gutters
01:12 will obviously keep you safer.
01:13 And if you see icicles forming
01:15 above doors or in other areas,
01:17 you can reach, he says.
01:18 Avoid the temptation to touch them.
01:20 Once they break,
01:21 they can cause injuries or
01:22 lead to property damage.
01:24 For Accuweather, I'm Emmy Victor.
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