There are very real risks to being exposed to extreme cold. Some football fans are finding that out.
According to Fox 4 in Kansas City, some fans who suffered frostbite at the January playoff game between the Dolphins and Chiefs might need amputations.
Dr. Megan Garcia, the Grossman Burn Center Medical Director, said that 70 percent of the patients who suffered frostbite during the period of extreme cold in the Kansas City area are being advised to schedule amputations. The majority of the patients with frostbite developed the condition at the Dolphins-Chiefs game.
Said Dr. Garcia in January, “In just this cold spell we’ve been having I’ve seen multiple patients that will likely require amputation five to six weeks from now. I imagine it’ll be somewhere between 10 and 20 at this point.”
As the game approached, the NFL told that there is no temperature that it regards as too cold for the playing of a game. The league might want to reconsider that approach.
While fans aren’t forced to attend, there should be a protocol for refunding tickets at face value when the conditions will be regarded as dangerous.
