ROANOKE, Va. – Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital is seeing a significant increase in children injured while sledding this winter.
Tanya Trevilian, pediatric trauma program manager at Carilion Children’s in Roanoke, said, “This week alone, nearly two-thirds of emergency department visits were related to sledding with injuries ranging from minor lacerations to bruises to more serious trauma.”
The hospital treated seven pediatric sledding patients in January 2025, including three trauma alerts. This January, that number has climbed to 20 patients, with seven trauma alerts. Carilion is not alone in noticing this trend.
LewisGale Medical Center is also experiencing a rise in winter-related injuries. Zachary Williams, medical director for the emergency department at LewisGale, said, “We’re seeing a lot more injuries related to the ice and snow altogether, whether that’s injuries from falls, activities like sledding, shoveling snow, we’ve seen an uptick in all of that.”
Doctors emphasize the importance of planning ahead to avoid a trip to the hospital when sledding:
- Wear a helmet.
- Choose the right hill, with no trees, rocks, and bumps. Look for a good base of snow with no ice and avoid being near traffic or bodies of water.
- One rider in each sled.
- Always go feet first.
- Wait your turn and make sure the hill is clear before you go.
- Layer up and wear gloves to protect yourself from the cold.
- Inspect equipment before each use to make sure there’s no cracks in the sled.
- Stay hydrated.
Williams noted, “Quite a few wrist fractures in the past few days, yesterday we had a couple shoulder dislocations, we’re seeing torso injuries from sledding.”
Trevilian added, “I think that because of the icy conditions, with the ability to sled a bit faster than on powdered snow, I think that that’s kind of been related to more of these incidents happening unfortunately.”
Williams concluded, “We would never want to discourage anyone if they’re having fun out in the weather but at the same time, keep in mind that we are seeing an increase uptick in that, so if you can do anything to prevent that, that would be best.”
Safety tips for ice-skating:
- Skate in the direction of crowd to allow space for others.
- Skate in a designated area. Look for signs about the condition of the ice.
- Avoid skating during warm weather.
- Avoid skating on rivers because currents create unsafe conditions.
- Same rules: stay hydrated, layer up, wear a helmet, wear gloves, and inspect your equipment.
Safety tips for Skiing and Snowboarding:
- Use the buddy system so you always have help if you need it.
- Take lessons and avoid slopes you or your child may not be ready for.
- Those ahead of you on the trail have right of way.
- Avoid stopping in middle of trail.
- Stay alert for others and give yourself plenty of space passing others.
- Same rules: stay hydrated, layer up, wear a helmet, wear gloves, and inspect your equipment.