More Edmontonians injured in slips and falls during icy, snowy December

There’s no question it’s been a slippery winter on Edmonton’s streets and sidewalks.

Early data show the number of people heading to emergency rooms for slips and falls is up.

That includes Kathleen Joy, who was hospitalized for breaking her ankle after slipping on an icy road Sunday.

“In a split second, I fell on ice,” Joy told CityNews.

Two days after her fall, the Edmonton woman was still in hospital Tuesday waiting for surgery.

“I thought I cut my legs or my legs were broken because I felt the numb up until my knees,” she said.

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Joy says she lost her footing after brushing snow off her car along 169 Street in west Edmonton, where there were thick and slick patches of ice coating the edges of the road.

She says even though she was holding on to the back of the car, she couldn’t avoid the sudden fall. She couldn’t call for help because her phone was in her purse.

It took several minutes before a couple passing by found her crying in severe pain on the ice.

“Up to now, I am in pain,” Joy said. “But I have a pain reliever injection that makes me so dizzy and nauseous. From noon until nighttime, I was just crying in pain. I am really tired.”

And she’s far from being alone.

Data from Emergency Health Services show in December, Edmonton emergency crews responded to 1,064 slip and fall events – the highest monthly figures in the last two years.

While not all are related to weather, they came in a month where Edmonton saw freezing rain and record snowfalls.

And already in January, warmer than average temperatures have created icy conditions.

Joy blames the state of Edmonton’s roads for her injury.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the City of Edmonton said safety is the top priority, and that officials are committed to having safe roads and pathways during the winter.

The city is encouraging anyone seeing dangerous conditions to report them to 311, adding an injury claim can be filed online if anyone suspects the city of being negligent and legally responsible.

But Joy wants better snow and ice removal.

“I’m always praying the city will change the process of plowing the snow and clearing the roads, because it’s not just me it happens to.”

And she hopes she doesn’t have to wait for surgery much longer.