Fractures and Other Injuries from Falls After an Ice Storm

This is a retrospective review of all patients seen at an urban emergency department for 9 days after an ice storm because of a fall on ice. Date of presentation, age, sex, and anatomic location and type of injury were tabulated. Risk factors for fractures were identified. A total of 327 injuries were identified in 259 patients. Back injury was most common (19.3%). Ninety-one patients sustained 93 fractures. Ankle fractures were most common (24.7%), followed by fractures of wrist (19.4%) and hip (14.0%). Ankle fractures were more common than other studies of falls after a snow storm. Fracture was significantly related to age (P = .0001). There was a trend for women to sustain fractures (P = .07). Unlike other mass casualty events, fractures and injuries peaked on the 5th and 6th day after the storm, allowing adequate time for mobilizing resources to care for the injured.