Agony in the ice - Worthing Hospital sees massive increase in broken bones

Many of the victims were innocent shoppers who slipped on the treacherous ice which turned Worthing town centre into a "death trap".

A hospital spokeswoman said more than 50 people had been admitted to A&E over the weekend suffering from fractures, compared with an average of just six.

At 9.30am today (Monday, December 21), 30 people were waiting for treatment, mostly suffering suspected broken bones, twice the normal number.

She added: "The message is - don't go out".

X-ray queue

Sue Sears, 63, from Pulborough, rushed to hospital after her daughter broke a leg in two places by slipping on ice in Montague Street, outside Marks and Spencer, at around 11am on Saturday (December 19).

"She travelled in by bus deliberately to be as safe as she could, but was unprepared for Montague Street to be a death-trap like it was," said Sue.

"At the hospital, there was a massive load of trolleys with broken arms and broken legs."

She then had to help hospital staff take an X-ray of her daughter's leg as the department was stretched to breaking point by the influx of casualties.

"I had to hold the plates under my daughter's leg and hold it in position while she was screaming in pain," said Sue.

"It was hideous."

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