How To Avoid An Ice-Related Injury

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Fargo police responded to 57 accidents between midnight and noon on Friday.

Jerry Johnson and his wife were on their way to Sandy’s for a donut when all of a sudden, he slipped on a patch of ice.

“Well I was in the shade over here and I slipped and fell down and hit my elbow,” Johnson says.

Johnson wasn’t the only one affected by the slippery streets.

“Walking to class was kind of cumbersome and walking to actually downtown from class was pretty slick,” says NDSU student Shane Gibbons.

The air temperatures were above freezing all day but surfaces like streets, driveways and even cars are colder which causes the freezing rain to stick. Icy conditions make for a busy day for medical officials. Luckily, none of the vehicle accidents in Fargo were serious. But it was another story for wipe-outs on the ice.

“We hope that a lot of those are more soft tissue than bony in nature but inevitably the fractures go up on days like today,” says Sanford orthopedic surgeon Benjamin Noonan.

But not to worry. Noonan says there are several ways to avoid a trip to the ER.

“Walk more with a bent knee gate like a softer gate, not having your hands in your pockets, be prepared. A lot of times you can use your hands to catch your balance before you go down,” Noonan says.

Doctors say if you are having trouble putting pressure on any part of your body after an accident, you should get it checked out.