More Cities Are Banning Sledding Because Why Should We Get to Keep the One Good Thing About Winter

As most of the U.S. prepares for cold temperatures and lots of snow and ice, some people are probably taking solace in the fact that this means they can bundle up and go sledding.

Sadly, though, that isn’t an option everywhere, because more and more cities are banning the fun winter activity due to concerns about lawsuits and liability, the Associated Press reports. One of the latest is Dubuque, Iowa, whose city council is banning sledding in all but two of its 50 parks because it “can’t manage the risk at all of those places.”

In explaining the decision, Dubuque city officials pointed to major lawsuits like one in Nebraska, where the family of a 5-year-old girl won $2 million after she was paralyzed in a sledding accident. The council also cited a $2.75 million payment after a man in Iowa injured his spinal cord after sledding into a sign.

The AP points out that certain cities — including Montville, N.J. and Columbia City, Ind. — are banning sledding on certain hills or simply posting signs warning people to sled at their own risk.

Stay safe out there this winter.

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