Wayne County sledding hill closed after multiple injuries reported
Barricades have been posted at Middlebelt Hill in Westland, Michigan, as Wayne County authorities urge people to stop sledding at that location until further notice.
The site is in Hines Park, an area that follows the Middle River Rouge through several communities.
Two adults and one child have been recently injured there to the point that hospital treatment was needed, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office confirmed. One of the adults remains at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor.
In one such instance, two girls who were sledding went past the tree line into the ravine. The Wayne County Sheriff's Office and other first responders got them out of the water.
"We don't want anyone to get hurt. It's for your safety that we're telling folks don't go sledding in Hines Park. It's very dangerous to do so. Some folks are going to get hurt and we're trying to avoid any more individuals getting hurt," said Wayne County Undersheriff Mike Jaafar.
Last Thursday night, Jessica Wollweber, a mother of two from Garden City, took her 10-year-old sledding on this hill. One trip down the steep slope caused her tube to go too far, eventually crashing into a tree where she sustained life-threatening injuries all while her daughter looked on.
Wollweber reportedly remains in a medically induced coma after suffering a stroke and taking such a hard hit that doctors had to remove part of her skull. Her sister Kelsey Maley, says she's hoping Wollweber's story inspires everyone else to avoid Middlebelt Hill.
"She's going to be in the hospital for a long time, probably months and the damage that's been done to her brain is going to take a long time to recover," said Maley.
Park visitors are asked to watch for the signage and barricades.
"Please be advised that Middlebelt Hill at Hines Park in Westland is currently closed until further notice," the Wayne County Parks Department posted Wednesday night on social media.
Meanwhile, a smaller hill a half mile down the road from Middlebelt Hill was busy Thursday afternoon.
"We just came up here and saw that they had blocked it off and kept on going. I didn't want to just take them back home and go back indoors. I wanted to do something outdoors for the and burn some of that energy," said Dave Anderson from Westland.
Wayne County Parks also posted a reminder on social media that "we want to remind everyone that Wayne County hills are not supervised, and sledding is during Parks hours only."
