Holiday mishaps keep emergency rooms busy

The holidays keep emergency room doctors like Brad Wisnousky very busy.

“We've have some usual slips and falls we get from the ice and such for people walking some fractures with that,” said Wisnousky who works as an ER physician at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids.

The doctor says he treats a lot of these injuries, especially the day after Christmas.

“Sunday's going to be one of the bigger nights for people to come in, because they've been off for quite some time now things are nagging them.”

Time off work and time off school.

A snowboarding trip this weekend landed 16-year-old Jonny Webb in the ER with his fourth fracture.

“I just broke it not so long ago, and I landed it but I just caught myself,” explained Webb.

These holiday mishaps keep the waiting room full with teenagers like Webb and all ages in between.

“This weekend we've run the full gamut everybody's getting it from elderly to young,” said Dr. Wisnousky.

Wisnousky says most of what they're seeing are chest pains from shoveling snow, and flu symptoms from bad Christmas cooking.  The doctor did not report any major traumas, despite the big snowfall and messy holiday travel.  “Usually when cars hit and it's slick out they slide a little more so there's less injury.”

St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids also reported plenty of minor injuries, but few traumas.

While the ER doctors made it through this weekend with just some bumps and bruises, they can expect more of the same from patients like Webb next Christmas.

He says he'll be back on the slope when his wrist heals.