Skating injuries cost Dutch 46 million euros

UTRECHT - During the recent 12-day cold snap, over 13,000 skaters were treated for injuries sustained on the ice, a huge jump from an average of 200 skaters requiring medical attention from mishaps on artificial ice. About 8,400 skaters came away from open-air ice with a broken bone, most often (sixty percent) a fractured wrist. No less than nine percent of all the injury cases required at minimum an overnight stay in the hospital. Dutch hospitals also reported that over half of all those injured were aged 40 years and older, while ten percent of them were over 65. The skating related medical care was estimated to cost about €20 million, while the resulting absenteeism at work would cost a further €26 million.