Cities Across The U.S. Are Banning Sledding Due To Liability Risks

Growing up there was nothing more fun during the winter than sledding. We lived on a hill and my Dad would build a sledding course in our backyard. One year I went face first into some ice, but this never stopped me from continuing to sled. Cities across the U.S. are trying to be a little more careful in a sue happy world, they are banning sledding.

CBS is reporting that there isn't an exact number of cities banning sledding, but the list grows each and every year. Why does that list grow? It's because of the amount of injuries that take place:

A study by a Columbus, Ohio-based Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that between 1997 and 2007, more than 20,000 children each year were treated at emergency rooms for sledding-related injuries."

The injuries of course cost some major coin. Omaha, Nebraska was ordered to pay $2 million after a 5-year-old girl was paralyzed when she hit a tree while sledding.

Steve King runs a website that promotes sledding and notes that most sledders don’t wear helmets and it’s "near impossible to steer away from trees, rocks or signs".

“We live in a lawsuit-happy society and cities are just being protective by banning sledding in areas that pose a risk for injury or death,” King said.

Experts suggest that parents should have kids wear helmets and other safety gear while enjoying sledding on the slopes.