Tulsa Escapes Eastern Oklahoma's Winter Nightmare

Tulsa has been lucky by comparison to other parts of eastern Oklahoma. Traffic is moving fairly well, but walking is a different story. <br/><br/>News on 6 anchor Lori Fullbright says one thing drivers

Monday, January 15th 2007, 10:41 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa has been lucky by comparison to other parts of eastern Oklahoma. Traffic is moving fairly well, but walking is a different story.

News on 6 anchor Lori Fullbright says one thing drivers did notice is how rough some of the roads are. Snow packs down, but the ice creates craters, so in some areas, it's like driving on a washboard.

Otherwise, this was the most worrisome part for Tulsans, trying to stay on their feet. The combination of more people moving about and not a lot of places having a chance to get out sand or de-icer, made for some slippery parking lots and walkways. Most people took baby steps to stay upright, others decided to be a little less cautious.

The usual sledding haunts were more slippery and faster than ever. They even had a ramp created to give them a bigger thrill. It is this kind of fun that landed one young man in the St. John emergency room.

Garrett Fincannon needs an X-ray on his right arm after he and his sled went airborne, on only his fourth run of the day over by Tulsaâ€™s Will Rogers High School. "I was going fast, then there was a curb or something sticking out down the hill and I tried to bail out. My hand hit it and I did a flip or something. I hit my tailbone and my hand."

Doctors and nurses see lots of sledding injuries. They're glad to treat whatever needs mending, but do have some advice. St. John ER Dr. Charles Farmer: "the most important thing about sledding I'd like to say is it's extremely dangerous to be on a sled that's being pulled by a bicycle or automobile. That's a deadly combination."

They say falling on ice is not just about sprained ankles or bruised egos, they see people with hip fractures and broken thigh bones. They urge everyone to take it easy, especially the older folks. "Even though the pavement or concrete looks dry, you have to assume everywhere you put your foot is slippery and has the potential of a fall."

Many people are still stranded in Tulsa because they Greyhound buses were grounded. Those people are in a Red Cross shelter at a downtown church. Greyhound hopes to have the buses running by Tuesday.