Nothing jolly about it: your odds of winding up in the emergency room soar around Christmas
CENTRAL WASHINGTON - The excitement leading up to Christmas means racing to grab those last minute gifts or rushing to decorate your house. It’s officially crunch time for the holiday celebration, and at local hospitals. Your Action News team learned what puts you most at risk and how to avoid it.
'Tis the season for Santa Claus, gifts for loved ones, and unfortunately trips to the emergency room. A trend Darlene Hill is all too familiar with.
"I didn't hit my full back, just my (tailbone,” she said. “I fell right on that going off the sidewalk to cross the street."
It's accidents like that that keep ER rooms across the country as busy as shopping centers the days leading up to Christmas, and beyond.
"Even when it hasn't snowed, the frost and things cause people to fall, slip, hit their heads,” said Dr. Thomas Tovin.
It isn't just the elements outdoors that have hospitals swamped during the winter months. Action News was told staying inside can be just as dangerous with everything from carbon monoxide poisoning to stress induced heart attacks.
"We see a lot more people getting exposed to different pathogens like viral illness because everyone is in close quarters,” Tovin said. “People aren't outside as much. There's poor ventilation to buildings. That's an issue."
For those who do venture out into the cold, doctors said the biggest issue is rushing from one thing to the next. That's typically a big factor in everything from winter car accidents to tumbles like Hill's. Your best bet to avoid celebrating on Sunday at home instead of here? Simply slow down.
"I take baby steps,” Hill said. “Just to walk normal (during the cold months) that's a no."
Advice for keeping yourself healthy, which might be the best present you can give.
Doctors also said they deal with a big spike in fire-related injuries this time of year. They advise making sure you're not using combustible-fuel heaters inside, extension cords for space heaters, and doubling checking that your electric heaters aren't near anything that could catch fire.
'Tis the season for Santa Claus, gifts for loved ones, and unfortunately trips to the emergency room. A trend Darlene Hill is all too familiar with.
"I didn't hit my full back, just my (tailbone,” she said. “I fell right on that going off the sidewalk to cross the street."
It's accidents like that that keep ER rooms across the country as busy as shopping centers the days leading up to Christmas, and beyond.
"Even when it hasn't snowed, the frost and things cause people to fall, slip, hit their heads,” said Dr. Thomas Tovin.
It isn't just the elements outdoors that have hospitals swamped during the winter months. Action News was told staying inside can be just as dangerous with everything from carbon monoxide poisoning to stress induced heart attacks.
"We see a lot more people getting exposed to different pathogens like viral illness because everyone is in close quarters,” Tovin said. “People aren't outside as much. There's poor ventilation to buildings. That's an issue."
For those who do venture out into the cold, doctors said the biggest issue is rushing from one thing to the next. That's typically a big factor in everything from winter car accidents to tumbles like Hill's. Your best bet to avoid celebrating on Sunday at home instead of here? Simply slow down.
"I take baby steps,” Hill said. “Just to walk normal (during the cold months) that's a no."
Advice for keeping yourself healthy, which might be the best present you can give.
Doctors also said they deal with a big spike in fire-related injuries this time of year. They advise making sure you're not using combustible-fuel heaters inside, extension cords for space heaters, and doubling checking that your electric heaters aren't near anything that could catch fire.
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