Winter weather sending some people to the hospital

Columbia, Mo. (KMIZ)

MU Health hospital is reporting the recent winter storm is sending even more people to the hospital than the last snowstorm.

Dr. Christopher Sampson, a physician with MU Health, says so far they've had between 10 and 20 weather-related injuries. Most of the injuries were from motor vehicle collisions.

"A lot of those injuries, from the motor vehicle collisions, are extremity fractures, so arms or legs. Often it's just when vehicles slid off the road and went into a ditch," said Sampson.

Some of the motor vehicles even ended up being pretty severe.

"Some of the broken bones have been severe and will require hospitalization, so not everybody who was injured today will be able to go home tonight," Sampson said.

Right now, MU Health has a lot on their table, as they deal with weather-related injuries on top of COVID-19, but Sampson says it's nothing his team can't handle.

"At no point during either storm have we felt overwhelmed, we've been able to take care of everyone appropriately, to the best of our ability," said Sampson.

And Sampson isn't the only person that's not feeling overwhelmed by another winter storm. ABC17 spoke with Jeff Upton, who works for an animal supply company.

Upton says he's had to drive in bad weather conditions for nearly 30 years now so this storm is nothing new and he actually enjoys this part of the job.

"I enjoy doing it, I've been driving for about 30 years out on the road, and it. I'm mainly home all weekend and pretty much every week so I can't complain too much," Upton said.

Upton also wants to warn drivers that throughout his 30 years of driving in bad weather conditions, he's seen cars driving too fast out on the road and ending up in ditches. Upton warns people to really take their time out on the road today.