From another list.
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Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 9:38 PM

We got hit pretty hard over night (Monday night)
with freezing rain that turned to ice. I had an
experience today that has me pondering on how
better to be prepared in the future.

I was at home working around the house. I heard
someone yelling my name over and over from out-
side. It sounded like my neighbor and my first
thought was "Oh God, he's fallen in my driveway"
but when I opened the door he wasn't there but
still calling my name, so I looked down to his house
(2 houses over) and there he was lying on the
ground by his truck, in a pair of shorts, tshirt and
moccassins. He said "Call 911 I've broken my leg".

My stupid Verizon cell phone would not call out
to 911 (I've had this problem before and they said
they didn't know why, time definitely for new
phones). Anyways, I called my friend across the
street and had her call 911. I got on my boots and
coat and tried to walk across my yard and could
not move, it was solid thick sheet of ice so I could
not get to him. He said "I'm so cold" my other
friend had her teen girls run over with a blanket to
cover him till the emergency squad came.

We had 300 emergency room visits today in our
city from people falling and getting hurt on the ice.

Sorry long story but now my thoughts a

The only alternative I can think of for me to have
gotten to him without falling and breaking my leg,
back, neck too was if I had those ski things, don't
know what they are called but they are hand held
sticks that skiers use to guide them in the snow.
Would that work? And of course, our driveway
and streets were even worse.

Ends up my neighbor didn't break his leg but broke
his knee instead and will have surgery tommorow.
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You may have been able to get there by crawling.
Of course, gloves and knee pads would help.

Your idea of ski poles may have worked. Another
idea, is the one time I got my van stuck on ice, a
salt truck spreading salt helped me to get enough
traction to get off the ice. If you had enough rock
salt or kitty litter, you might have been able to
spread salt in front of yourself.

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com...ons/neve-strap

Remember the old clamp on roller skates? Mountain
climbers have something called "crampons" which
strap on like the old roller skates. But which have
wicked sharp points to dig into ice.

Golf cleat shoes may have beeen useful. I'm less
sure about the golf cleats.