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ER visits spike with ice-related injures

Posted at 5:52 PM, Jan 24, 2013
and last updated 2013-01-25 00:11:03-05

SALT LAKE CITY - Emergency rooms have seen a spike in ice-related injuries thanks to the slippery conditions across northern Utah on Thursday.

Emergency room doctors at the Intermountain Medical Center say they've seen at least 40 slip-and-fall cases on Thursday. Hospitals across the Salt Lake Valley are reporting a spike in ice-related injuries, from broken bones to head trauma.

"Anything can happen. We recommend people slow down a little bit, take your time when you're going outside, use hand rails, use ice melt on the stairs. It's just very slippery and most people aren't used to this in the valley. They're used to snow, not black ice. That's more of a Northeastern thing," said Dr. Douglas Dillon, an emergency room physician.

Slippery roads have caused plenty of crashes on Thursday, but pedestrians have been slipping and sliding along walkways, parking lots and sidewalks.

Check out videos of slippery roadways