'Scary' Sledding Incident Lands Child In Emergency Room

FALLSTON, MD — A child was injured Wednesday afternoon while sledding at Annie's Playground in Fallston.

The Harford County (MD) Volunteer Fire and EMS Association reported the incident on its Facebook page, and a man named Christopher Bell posted that he was the injured child's father. He described the incident as "scary."

Bell explained that the child flipped upside down over a mound of snow and landed on his head and neck.

"Our son is OK. The CT and X-rays show no broken bones and he will be fine after some TLC," Bell stated. "Thank you for all your kind words and prayers."

Bell added a bit of advice for others who are taking advantage of the winter weather to go sledding.

"Please be safe out there when having fun and sledding as it is very icy. I wanted to inform everyone that he is ok and it is a happy ending," Bell said.

Dr. Lauren Fitzpatrick, medical director of the Pediatric Emergency Room at Luminis Health Anne Arundel County Medical Center, told WBAL that the biggest concern with sledding is head injuries.

"So, we actually are seeing those already in the emergency room. We see them every year," she said.

Fitzpatrick recommended parents make children wear helmets when sledding and go feet first, not head first.

"The big concern is that when snow comes down, we change the landscape, and we don't know where fire hydrants and benches are. So, all of our usual targets for being safe are gone, and we can potentially slide into one of those. And, if you're going feet first instead of head first, at least your feet take the impact as opposed to your head or your neck," Fitzpatrick said.