Snow is likely to be part of the forecast over the next few days, leaving patches of white as a visible reminder that winter can be hazardous, especially to the elderly.
Last week’s snowfall brought the expected increase in visits to emergency rooms in Bentonville and Springdale, said Greg Russell, spokesman for Northwest Health System.
On Thursday and Friday, the system’s two emergency rooms treated 35 people for storm-related injuries, Russell said. In Bentonville, 20 people came for minor injuries sustained from slips and falls, he said, while some of Springdale’s 15 patients were injured in motor vehicle accidents.
“It just kind of comes with the territory,” he said.
A light snow was expected to start falling over Northwest Arkansas about 11 p.m. Tuesday and continue through early this morning. This snowfall wasn’t expected to be anything like the Christmas Eve storm, said Max Blood, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tulsa.
Flurries may continue through today, but continued accumulation wasn’t expected, Blood said. The overnight snow could accumulate 1 to 2 inches.
Snow also is possible Thursday, but not as likely, Blood said. A chance ofsnow continues Saturday and Sunday.
Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 40s in Fort Smith today, and in the upper 30s in Fayetteville and the rest of Northwest Arkansas, which should keep accumulation light, Blood said. Some areas, especially bridges, could have ice.
Older people should be more alert in icy conditions, said Dr. Hope Hartz Fredrich, director of education at the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education in Springdale.
“If it’s ice, everybody’s at risk, but as far as seniors go, they’re a lot more at risk for falls,” Fredrich said.
Older adults can sustain more serious injuries from falls because their bones can be more brittle than younger people, Fredrich said. Their ability to recover from an injury also is limited by other factors, she said.
Hip fractures pose the greatest threat to the elderly, Fredrich said.
“Fifty percent of people who have a hip fracture never walk again,” she said.
With more winter weather coming, people need to becareful and aware of hazards beyond the obvious, Fredrich said. Senior citizens obviously need to keep an eye out for ice, but they also need to watch for frozen handrails and black ice, she said.
Residents shouldn’t count on their city governments to ensure sidewalks and parking lots are slip-free. Fayetteville requires property owners to keep their sidewalks clear of snow and ice.
Fayetteville Code 98.06 states that all owners, tenants or managers of commercial establishments must clear sidewalks of snow by 5 p.m. “the first full business day immediately following the snowfall.”
It’s incumbent upon business owners to keep the sidewalks clear, though the city doesn’t actively enforce the ordinance, said Chuck Rutherford, Fayetteville’s sidewalk administrator.
“The city is not going to come out ticket you or fine you because you didn’t clean the snow and ice off the sidewalk,” Rutherford said. “But if somebody fell on your property... I’d think you’d probably want to clean it up.”
Fort Smith has a sidewalk program, though maintenance is up to residents, said Sherri Gard, assistant city clerk. The city doesn’t have a law requiring sidewalks be cleared from snow and ice, but it’s probably a good idea, she said.
“If there’s liability, I would assume it would go with the property owner,” she said.
The courts may well agree with that assumption, said Matthew Lindsay, an attorney with the Odom Law Firm in Fayetteville.
Each personal injury case is unique, as is the potential for liability, Lindsay said. However, in some cases business owners can be held responsible for someone’s injuries, he said.
“If the owner of a business is on notice that a dangerous situation exists and chooses to do nothing, there can be some liability,” Lindsay said.
Rutherford said that there are several different kinds of chemicals that can be used to remove ice, including several that can be put down before precipitation. It is always a good idea to read the directions of whichever product is used, he said.
Ice removal products are easy to use and readily available, especially at this time of year, Rutherford said.
“A lot of times, when you walk through the front door of Harps, they’ll have it right there,” he said.
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Northwest Arkansas, Pages 11 on 12/30/2009