Top 8 Ways Kids Get Hurt in Nashville Winters

Nashville is not immune to a rough winter season. Snow, ice, high winds, rain, and sleet can wreak havoc on our state, especially when we’re not as prepared for it. But we all know that as much as shoveling snow can be a pain (literally and figuratively), the kids are going to have fun no matter what.

We want you and your family to be safe in these last few weeks of winter. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the most common causes of winter injuries:

1. Frostbite
2. Burns
3. Ice skating on thin ice
4. Unsupervised sledding, tubing, or skiing
5. Snowmobile accidents
6. Motor vehicle accidents
7. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning
8. Slipping and falling on ice and snow

Protecting your kid from burn injuries

Burns to a child can easily be prevented. It’s important to never leave cooking unattended. Not only can your child touch the stove and suffer a burn, but it can lead to a kitchen fire. Install guards on the front of your stove and keep young children out of the kitchen when cooking.

Children can also suffer burns on space heaters and baseboard heating elements. Teach your children to avoid touching a space heater even when it is not active. The same goes for keeping your child from playing with the baseboard heaters throughout your Nashville home.

Have your car seats checked

If you are unsure if the car seats in your vehicle are installed properly, it’s a good idea to have them checked by a professional. Call your local police or fire station to see if they hold car seat checkpoints in the winter. A firefighter or police officer might be able to check the car seat to ensure it is installed properly. Doing so could prevent your child from suffering a serious injury if you are involved in an accident.

Avoid unattended winter activities 

You can prevent your child from suffering a serious winter injury by avoiding unattended activities. If you are going sledding or skiing, be sure to go with your child, teach them how to do it first, and ensure that there aren’t too many people around or other obstructions they can crash into at the bottom of the hill.

Continue to proceed with extreme caution even when present

Another common yet dangerous activity we see across our state during heavy snow days is when children are placed on an innertube that is tethered to an all-terrain or off-road vehicle and pulled at high-speeds down a quiet street. While it may seem less dangerous as there are fewer vehicles on the road, nothing is stopping the tethered tube from swinging into obstructions on either side of the street which can result in serious or even fatal injuries. Just days ago, tragedy struck in Brentwood, Tennessee, when a 9-year-old riding on a tube with friends behind pulled by his father was flung off into a mailbox on the side of the road. The boy did not survive his injuries.

While we cannot protect our children from everything, the likelihood of injury and even death decreases dramatically when we monitor their activities and evaluate the potential dangers of those activities before moving forward.

Having children is a blessing. It can also be incredibly stressful, especially when a child suffers an injury. No matter how minor or serious the injury, it’s always a good idea to have them examined by a doctor. Depending on the cause of the child’s injury you should consider consulting with an experienced Nashville personal injury attorney from Rocky McElhaney Law Firm. Call our office at 615-425-2500, or complete the contact form online today. We operate offices in Nashville, Hendersonville, and Clarksville to better serve clients across Tennessee.