This post was written by Hatchet reporter Benjamin Kershner.
GW Hospital has treated about 20 people for broken wrists Friday after about 9 inches of snow blanketed the city this week.
Since about 7 a.m. Friday morning, the hospital has treated three to four people an hour for “slips, trips and falls,” GW Hospital spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said.
As school and office closings kept residents off the slippery sidewalks Thursday, hospital spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said traffic in the emergency room was “extremely light,” though staff staff members were sheltered in nearby hotels as a precaution.
Fall-related injuries like broken wrists are common the day after a big storm as residents venture outside for the first time, Taubenkibel said.
“As we had anticipated, as the sun came out and more people were getting out or doing normal routines, we knew we would see a bump in the number of people coming in,” Taubenkibel said early Friday.
Thursday’s snow totals in D.C. were three times larger than last winter’s totals. The storm led to thousands of flight cancellations across the country.
