Beware of the ice

[Lewis 0]

Seeking Pleasure From the Storm, Many Find Pain

Victims of Sledding Mishaps Jam Hospitals

By Nelson Hernandez and Leef Smith

Washington Post Staff Writers

Saturday, February 17, 2007; Page B01

Sheets of solid ice cracked windshields, broke bones and fell on at least one man's head as residents across the region navigated their way across a frigid, craggy landscape still hazardous four days after a storm struck the area. In Harford County, Md., a man was killed while sledding.

Inova Loudoun Hospital alone was treating 23 patients injured in sledding-related accidents at one point Thursday -- deep lacerations, concussions, twisted ankles and broken bones. A man waiting for a bus in the District received a concussion yesterday when a block of ice dropped from a building onto his head. Virginia and Maryland state police said chunks of ice flying off moving cars and trucks damaged more than 40 windshields and injured several people.

Prince George's County authorities identified the victim of a fatal car crash Thursday as Regina Williams, principal of Rosaryville Elementary School in Upper Marlboro. The crash occurred at an intersection where traffic signals were out, probably because of the weather.

In the Harford County town of Bel Air, Gary Jastrab, 57, was killed when he struck a tree while sledding with a family member on a slope outside his house, the county sheriff's department said. He suffered a head injury about 4 p.m. and died at the scene.

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The 32-year-old man injured in Northwest Washington while waiting for a bus was struck by a 3-by-15-foot block of ice at Rhode Island Avenue and 14th Street about 10 a.m., fire department spokesman Alan Etter said. The man's injuries are not considered life-threatening.

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Yesterday, state police in Virginia and Maryland were also reporting a slew of broken windshields -- as many as 40 since Wednesday -- caused by ice flying off large vehicles and striking other cars.

"The car gets warm, the ice melts and it slides off the roof at 40 or 50 miles per hour," said Lt. Curtis Bailey, a Virginia State Police spokesman . "It's like a missile."

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7021600337.html

My nephew was one of the casualties, luckily, just a sprained ankle. I hear the cops are handing out tickets this point to people who don't clear ice from the roof of their vehicle if the ice causes damage to other vehicles.