Images of beaming kids racing down snowy hills with sleds may soon become a thing of the past.
Motivated by a fear of costly lawsuits, more U.S. cities are opting to ban sledding from popular hills and parks, the Associated Press reported. Cities in Iowa, Illinois and other states have outright banned the beloved pastime while others have restricted access to sledding hills.
Officials and advocates say the bans, though extreme, saves cities millions in settlements from lawsuits brought by outraged parents of injured children.
"We live in a lawsuit-happy society and cities are just being protective by banning sledding in areas that pose a risk for injury or death," Steve King, who runs a pro-sledding website, told the AP. He also noted most people sled without wearing protection like helmets.
Over 20,000 children were treated at emergency rooms for sledding injuries each year between 1997 and 2007, according to a study from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio.
In the city of Dubuque, Iowa, the City Council decided to ban sledding in 48 out of the city's 50 parks, a measure that was quickly slammed as being too radical.
"If we're gonna ban everything that's bad for our kids, let's ban hot dogs, let's ban mozzarella sticks, no more swimming in the ocean, the list could go on," said Megyn Kelly, host of Fox's "The Kelly File."
Council members weren't enthusiastic about the move. But considering a previous $2 million settlement in Nebraska where a 5-year-old girl was paralyzed after hitting a tree, officials said it was the best move. In Sioux City, Iowa, a $2.7 million payment was given to a man who suffered a spinal cord injury after sledding into a sign, according to the AP.
"We have all kinds of parks that have hills on them," Marie Ware, Dubuque's leisure services manager, told the AP. "We can't manage the risk at all those places."
Other cities, however, opted for placing large warning signs around hills and extra padding around trees. Nebraska's Omaha city banned sledding at one of its hills after being sued, but it was quickly repealed because people continued sledding.
"It wasn't practical," Tom Mumgaard, assistant city attorney, told the AP. "People wouldn't abide by the ban."
