Description: It took Terry Brandt’s wrist nearly a year to heal after he broke it. The reason for the damage: an icy fall during a task as simple as washing his wife’s car a few winters ago.
Speaking from experience, the Lebanon man offers some advice to people this time of year.

Be careful.

Brandt, 56, is one of millions of people who were — or will be — injured doing winter activities.

According to the American Heart Association, falls and frostbite may be the best-known dangers of cold weather, but they are far from the only ones. People with heart disease may suffer heart attacks while shoveling snow or serious complications if they catch the flu.

“We do see an increase in the flu virus this time of year,” said Dr. Steven Roda, the Emergency Department medical director at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon. So far, however, the state has seen only two cases of flu this year, he noted.

As of Thursday, Roda said, the hospital’s ER hasn’t seen many, if any, winter-related