COEUR d'ALENE - What looks like a wet sidewalk could be an invitation to kiss the pavement - against your will.

Slipping and falling on icy paths is common during North Idaho's freezing winters. While falling is the No. 1 reason people go to the hospital year-round, injury prevention coordinator Donna Kalanick of Rathdrum said the volume of people admitted for falls in cold months increases.

"In the wintertime, generally, yes, we see more falls because of the slick surface," said Kalanick, who served as an emergency department nurse for 24 years. "I've seen a lot of falls. It's usually every shift you see people falling and getting admitted."

She said it is difficult to estimate exactly how many people come into Kootenai Health with ice-related falling injuries, but it's a lot, and many of the patients are older.

"Nationwide, this is a problem with individuals age 65 and older," she said.

The snow, ice and rain that hit North Idaho early this week left one man with a black eye and concerned for the well-being of others.

Bob Ray, 82, of Coeur d'Alene, got quite the shiner - a swollen, blood-red eye - after slipping Tuesday morning on his way to put a letter in the mailbox. His wife, Lee, 80, said Bob tested one side of the sidewalk and it was dry, but where he stepped was icy and slick. He fell on his face, breaking his luckily shatterproof glasses and bruising the left side.

"That stupid ice, you can't see it," Lee said. "It just makes the sidewalk look wet, it's like that 'black ice' they talk about."

Bob and Lee are active individuals who are fit and do not look their ages. Bob is doing fine, but his black eye has spawned many a conversation with friends and strangers about their close calls and experiences losing their footing on icy terrain.

"What's weird is so many of our friends are also slipping," Bob said, adding that two friends fell the same day he did.

"Everybody we talked to, if they hadn't themselves fallen that day or the day before, they knew someone who had," Lee said. "They'd taken dives, involuntary dives."

The amount of slippery stories the Rays have heard inspired them to contact The Press and share their tale as a warning to other winter pedestrians.

"It's to warn people that they need to know better," Lee said. "The weather fools us, no matter how long you've lived here ... we're warning everyone. They're not thinking, they're busy on the way to work, busy with kids, then getting out of the car and 'boom.'"

The Idaho Transportation Department has several tips for walking on ice and packed snow listed on its website, www.itd.idaho.gov. The pointers include maintaining a firm two- or three-point contact with a vehicle when entering or exiting it until both feet are securely planted, avoiding carrying heavy/awkward items over irregular ice and snow such as in a parking lot, not using a cellphone while walking on icy surfaces because it shifts a person's center of balance and wearing properly fitting shoes.

Kalanick said common injuries from falling on ice, especially in those 65 and older, are lacerations, hip fractures and head trauma. Falling can even create a cycle of fear that makes it that much more dangerous, she said.

"These injuries can make it hard for (older) individuals to get around or live independently and it increases the risk of early death," she said. "Many people who fall develop a fear of falling, and this fear can lead to limited activities, which leads to reduced mobility and loss of physical fitness and in turn that increases their risk of falling."

Kalanick, who also teaches a Fit and Fall Proof class at Kootenai Health, recommended people avoid venturing into slick weather if possible, and wear ice cleats for added traction if they have to be out when weather conditions are severe. She also suggested people wear layers to prevent hypothermia in case they fall and can't get up.

If you witness someone falling, Kalanick said, determine if he or she needs help and do not move someone who has any kind of neck or back injury.

"It's not just the automobiles that are crashing and burning," Lee said.