ST. LOUIS – An icy Monday morning led to a spike in the number of patients at Mercy St. Louis and Mercy South hospitals.
Sarah Sweeney, a resident of High Ridge, took a tumble after stepping on ice on her front porch. Like many others, she was simply trying to check the weather conditions.
“I almost hit my head,” Sweeney said. “I was worried.”
Right behind her was her boyfriend, Gabriel Kerr. He also slipped and fell while trying to help Sweeney. The home’s doorbell camera captured both falls. Neither faced any serious injuries.
“I feel very fortunate,” Kerr said.
Mercy St. Louis and Mercy South reported slips and falls as the number one reason for patients visiting their emergency rooms Monday.
“We’ve seen a really wide gamut of injuries, all the way from falls with bumps and bruises to fractures, including some pretty severe brain injuries,” Dr. Kevin Journagan, Mercy St. Louis emergency room director, said.
Journagan said most injuries were the result of walking to the car, checking the mail, waking the dog or getting the newspaper.
The spike in cases is a reminder for residents to avoid going out on the ice if they can, he said.
Mercy has walk-in hours at the orthopedic clinic. Patients with injuries not requiring an ER visit can hold a spot in line here.
