by Jen KastnerNewsWest 9
ODESSA- The doctors and nurses at Medical Center Hospital are taking a deep breath after a stressful weekend in the emergency room. They say several patients were taken to them after being in car accidents. They saw far more than they usually treat.
Last weekend brought with it the excitement of Christmas, but a sudden snowstorm coupled with jam-packed roads full of holiday shoppers, led to disaster for some.
"We saw an increase in motor vehicle crashes both the days before Christmas and the days right after," Divisional Director for Emergency Services, Dena Mikkonen, said.
The emergency room at MCH says they've seen a sharp spike in the number of crashes over just the past few days.
The Department of Public Safety said they responded to 24 motor vehicle accidents on Saturday alone. On Sunday, they went to another 13 accidents.
The snow was partly to blame, but that wasn't all.
"I think holiday travel and drinking [are the blame]. Both of those things would probably contribute and then also some of the snowy and icey conditions that we had," Mikkonen said.
The holiday came with some heavy partying and the ER definitely treated some of those folks.
"I've seen a lot of patients that were probably drinking before here and were involved in crashes," Mikkonen said.
"I've seen a lot of patients that were probably drinking before here and were involved in crashes," Mikkonen said.
With New Year's Eve around the corner, the holiday season isn't behind just yet. These nurses urge you to think things through before hitting the road.
"Safety never takes a holiday and you never know when a crash is going to happen. So, you want to think through your plans and make your decisions ahead of time. And, don't let things impair your judgement like alcohol, stress and fatigue. Or, distractions like texting," ER Nurse, Lisa Earp, said.
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