Slick sidewalks, streets lead to uptick in ER visits in Kansas City area
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s an unfortunate symptom of the season.
That overnight burst of icy weather delivered slick streets and sidewalks. Hundreds of people needed to seek medical care, and wondering about the right time to seek help.
Treading on or near most sidewalks after early Monday morning’s ice shows is a risk. Metro emergency rooms are seeing increased traffic from people who’ve fallen on icy patches, including HCA’s 24 metro locations.
That group’s spokesperson reports nearly 200 patients were treated in slip-and-fall incidents. St. Luke’s Health System leaders treated 57 patients on Monday morning, and another 12 were seen at University Health. Conditions ranged from broken bones to bad bruises.
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Advent Health Dr. Grady Thiems, an emergency medical staffer affiliated with Kansas Emergency Physicians, said he and his team treated another 20 patients on Monday morning after their feet found a slick spot, and impact with the unforgiving ground did damage to hips, knees, ankles and backs.
“Many times, if you can’t bear weight, or if you can’t stand up, if you can’t use that joint like you normally do, that’s probably going to give you good enough reason to get it checked out,” Thiems said.
City ordinances in both Kansas City, Missouri and Overland Park, Kansas require homeowners to clear the sidewalks around their homes. People who slip and fall on untreated walkways may have a complain to file.
Personal injury attorney Tristen Woods, who leads Kansas City-based Jungle Law, said business operators and homeowners who fail to clear their sidewalks ad parking lots may leave themselves open to legal action. In the case of city sidewalks, Woods said complaints against maniacal governments can be filed, but the process is complicated.
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“Make sure you get an attorney on that issue. It’s a little more complicated than just a business, per se, or a home residence. They have homeowners insurance. Businesses have insurance from that standpoint as well,” Woods said.
For those who intend to file a claim against a city in regards to a public sidewalk left unattended, there’s a 90-day notice requirement. The process requires a certified letter to be sent to the city. The statute of limitations in Missouri, as it relates to this, is five years, and it’s two years in Kansas. Missing these important dates will make it much harder to win an injury case in court.
