Four UConn students hospitalized following sledding collisions

STORRS, Conn. (WFSB) - Four UConn students were hospitalized following multiple sledding accidents on Tuesday.

Several UConn students were out at Horsebarn Hill sledding and enoying the snow after the first major snowfall of the season when two collisions caused four students to be hospitalized.

UConn emergency personnel were called to Horsebarn Hill just before 5:00 p.m. on a report of two students that collided while sledding.

While responding to that incident, emergency personnel were notified of a second collision where two other students were injured.

According to a UConn spokesperson, the student’s injuries are considered non-life threatening, and consisted mostly of head, back, and leg pain and injuries.

Three students were transported by ambulance to Windham Hospital, and one was transported to Hartford Hospital.

Students say sledding down Horsebarn Hill is a tradition at UConn’s Storrs campus.

Tuesday’s events were a wake up call to many to be careful while sledding and spending time in the snow. Experts say sledding accidents are more common than one might think.

“We see everything from femur fractures, ankle fractures, down to sprains, twisted shoulders, elbows. They can have pretty severe injuries if they go down at a good rate of speed,” says Dr. Matthew Riedel an orthopedic trauma surgeon at Yale University Hospital.

Riedel suggests sledding in an area you are familiar with, and to watch out for other people while sledding.

“If you’re going to go out and sled at night, be very mindful you might not see obstacles or bumps in the way that you may run into,” says Dr. Riedel.

Personnel from the UConn Fire Department and Ashford Fire Department were at the scene. In addition ambulances were provided by Mansfield, Coventry, Windham, and Willington.

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