MEDICS have warned the public to avoid sledging under the influence of drink or in the dark following a spike in serious injuries during recent snowfalls.
One patient needed surgery for a ruptured spleen
They added: "In a previous cold spell, a patient died after hitting a tree at speed.
"We therefore emphasise the dangers of sledging and recommend it is avoided in poor light and after drinking alcohol."
The warning comes just days after a 29-year-old man and his seven-year-old daughter suffered broken legs during a sledging accident in the Scottish Borders. They were injured when their sledge veered off course and collided with a park bench in Selkirk on January 20.
A study published in the Scottish Medical Journal in 2011, carried out at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, found 45 of its 403 paediatric emergency admissions (11%) over a two-week period were the result of sledging accidents. More than half (51%) involved collision with a stationary object.
Meanwhile, Met Office forecasters say more freezing temperatures are on the way, with the mercury set to drop to three degrees below freezing tonight in the central belt, while fresh snow is due in the north- east.
Yellow weather alerts were issued yesterday as snow blanketed much of the country, and are set to remain in place today.
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