A potentially fatal winter danger is hiding in plain sight and can strike nearly any unsuspecting victim.
Across the U.S. each year, an estimated 1 million people are injured from slipping on ice and snow, leading to serious issues like broken bones and head injuries, with around 17,000 of these falls proving fatal, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2024 winter, Jolene Waldref, 49, of South Milwaukee, was leaving her job as a receptionist at a home health care agency on Jan. 15 when she slipped and fell on the ice, hitting her head on a fence on a nearby property, according to records from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office. She died of hypothermia in the freezing weather shortly thereafter.
Such tragedies can happen in the South, too: Carl Mathieu, a Louisiana man, died in February 2021 after he slipped on ice and hit his head on the ground, the Louisiana Department of Health said.
With winter weather already in place across much of the nation, here are some tips for staying safe while walking on icy surfaces over the coming months.
