This is aimed at those of you who live in climates that have snowy and icy winters.
I generally am aware of whether or not I have slipped and fallen at least once each winter. Not like I write it down or anything. But if I DO slip and end up on the ground, I’m aware of that for the rest of the winter. And the opposite is true - I’m aware of whether I make it through an entire winter without ending up on my keister. And I think of that as a small victory.
I would estimate that I slip and fall at least once every winter. We walk our dog daily, and often, once it gets cold, it stays cold long enough for the ice to hang around. This morning a dusting of snow covered some Ice. When I felt my foot go out from under me, I let myself down onto my butt. My wife commented on how gently I went down. The benefit of years of martial arts training! I’ve never needed to defend myself, but I have fallen somewhat regularly!
Nothing momentous here. Just wondering if folk cared to share stories of slipping on ice in these miserable climates we choose to live in. And you thin-blooded warm weather denizens - feel free to mock us sturdy pioneers.
I lived in ice country (St. Louis) for 20 years. And worked traveling nationally for ~35 years. I have slipped onto my butt probably about once a winter after I’d learned how to walk on the stuff. My first couple years going up north after a lifetime to age 28 living in hot climes was brutal.
I’ve rattled my cage a few times, lots innumerable cups of flying coffee, but fortunately have never really injured myself. Had a few persistent bruises for a few days, but nothing worse.
At least the OP can take comfort that since he’s filled his square for this winter he can now throw caution to the (famous Chicago) wind and just dance across the frozen landscape secure in the knowledge he cannot fall.
I’ve only broken four bones in my life, but two of those were from slipping on ice.
The first was eleven years ago; I slipped just after getting out of my car, in the parking lot of the place where I worked at that time, and landed hard on my right wrist. It was sore, but manageable, and I figured I had just broken it – until the following morning, when I went to turn on the shower with that hand (which required a twisting motion), and I screamed. Hairline fracture of a bone in my wrist.
The second was nine months ago. Just after Easter, on the last wintry day of the season here in Chicago, I was walking from the train station to my office, and apparently found a little patch of ice. I landed hard on my right side, and broke my right elbow (technically, the tip of my right ulna). Surgery ensued, with a plate and screws, and while I’ve recovered, and have nearly all of my range of motion back, it still aches when I use it too much.
I hope that some of our ice from the last storm that’s coating trees, walks and driveways melts with today’s forecast 40F high. We’ve had more than a week of below-freezing temperatures.
Broken bones are no joke, especially if they involve the hip.
Stay safe, Dopers. Use melting compound liberally on your steps and walkways.
The worst is when you get the first snow in November (or October!) and before you even think of it being winter, you end up on your butt and have “lost” the winter!
This year, I made it 1/3 into January. We had had a nasty ice storm last week, and in the back of my head I was congratulating myself for not having fallen yet. Yesterday most of the ice had melted in our first above 32F day in a week or so. So maybe I was being cocky or careless…
I’ve never injured myself slipping on ice (yet!). My worst slip/fall injury was on a 1/2 flight inside of my house. Trimalleolar fracture w/ 2 plates and 13 screws!
I’ve been dealing with some hip arthritis the last few years, and am often carrying an upright bass, so I usually think of myself as being quite cautious about walking. At 64, I fear the possibility of serious injury as I age.
We don’t get much snow here, but ice events are more frequent, and that shit can be real sneaky.
About 4-5 years ago, we had one of these freezing rain type events and it was quite cold in the morning, so I pulled the car out of the garage and parked it in the driveway to let it warm up while I collected the stuff I needed to take to work.
Therefore, instead of exiting the house through the back door that leads to the garage, I exited through the side door. There are several steps from the porch down to the ground, which my husband built a ramp for. We used to have large dogs and a couple of them got rather rickety in their old age and had trouble with the stairs. The ramp has indoor-outdoor carpet on it for a little grip.
So I start down the ramp - and found out that the carpet had gotten soaked and then the surface had frozen. So rather than walking, I skiied down to the end and fell on my butt at the bottom when I abruptly stopped.
Fortunately the only outcome was a sore shoulder caused by my large laptop case getting jerked around.
IMO/IME that’s the most dangerous case: the nice day after a snow or ice event.
You’re smiling in the sun and/or comparative warmth, thinking of the melting. But that just means any ice has a layer of lubricating water on it. Oops.
I’m not sure of exactly what the conditions were like for @Dinsdale (he lives some miles west of me), but here in west suburban Cook County, we got some freezing drizzle on Friday morning/early afternoon, and then a burst of about an inch of snow late Friday night.
So, yesterday, any surface that hadn’t been treated or scraped on Friday consisted of about an inch of snow, on top of a layer of ice. Great concealed fun!
It was a warm day, followed by a cold night, with a skiff of snow. So little, it didn’t need clearing.
Mistake. That skiff of snow covered a patch of ice that had melted the day before, then refroze in the night. When I went out to get in my car, my foot slipped on the hidden ice, and I went down like a pro wrestler delivering an elbow smash.
My elbow was okay—eventually—but damn! Was it ever painful at the time.
Was in your lovely burg yesterday (The Buzz, every Sat from 7-11), and exclaimed how happy I was to look out the east facing windows and see some meltwater dripping off the building in the morning sunshine. Something I hadn’t seen in a week or so.
Needless to say – but I’ll say it anyway – slipping and falling can potentially be very dangerous. I’m glad it was only minor for the OP and others here, but it can also lead to concussions or complications from a broken hip. The problem is exacerbated when you get older both because one is less agile and intrinsically with a poorer sense of balance, and also because the body is more fragile.
I nearly slipped and fell the other day when crossing the roadway in a supermarket parking lot, and it wasn’t even icy. But the road was slightly slushy, and had smooth rounded speed bumps that were painted yellow. The yellow paint had less traction than bare pavement, especially when lubricated with slush. I probably would have fallen if I had not been holding on to a shopping cart. Curbs are another potential hazard.
Unrelated to ice, but many falls occur in the home. I will no longer risk going up or down the stairs without holding on to the banister. Carrying stuff up the stairs in both hands is now out of the question. I’m in the habit of carrying toast and coffee or entire meals up to the computer, and an excellent solution to this problem turned out to be a cheap, attractive wooden tray that’s very easy to carry in one hand, even with a snack and a full cup of coffee on it.
I’m also very careful getting out of the shower. The bathrooms all have fancy-schmancy ceramic tile flooring, which looks nice but is quite slippery when wet. I’m surrounded by things trying to kill me!
That is what did me in. I had both hands full and was going down a flight of 6 steps. My left foot slipped off the front edge of a step. The toe struck the step below, and as I slowly lowered down to my butt, the ankle slowly bent backwards more and more.
When I stood up again, what did I do? What any man wuld do, of course - figure it was a sprain, and try to “walk it off!” By the time I walked into the ER, the ones had slipped over each other. I can still hear the ER doc looking at the xray and saying, “You WALKED in her on this?!”
Gee - with a lifetime of brilliant decision-making such as this, I wonder now why I have so much arthritis…
I went up to the Grand Canyon two years ago to take winter photos (I think I posted some here). On the way back, I stopped to pull a car out of a ditch (AZ 64 was snow-packed for 50 miles). I stepped out of the Bronco, and immediately slipped and fell on my can The road was like an ice rink. I was unhurt, but it could have easily been very bad - I could have hit my head on the running board, which would have been unpleasant.
Falls are more a matter of happenstance, bad luck, or a moment of inattention. The only real prevention one can hope for is to avoid risky situations, like my policy of refusing to go up or down stairs without a firm hold on the banister, avoiding ladders in most situations, and promptly clearing ice from the porch and walkway. And of course, relying on Snowplow Guy to deal with the driveway.
The last time I actually fell, as opposed to the “almost-fell” incident with the slippery speed bump, was on a bright dry summer morning when in a moment of inattention I tripped over a curb. Fortunately no great harm done other than a scraped knee and a tear in the knee of a comfortable pair of jeans. I’m not a morning person and I blame the incident on being half-asleep.
By the time I walked into the ER, the ones had slipped over each other. I can still hear the ER doc looking at the xray and saying, “You WALKED in her on this?!”
)