Personal Injury Claims: Strange Things Happen on Halloween

Celebrating Halloween sometimes leads to serious injuries. Adults and kids often decorate, trick-or-treat, and attend parties in celebration of the holiday. From driving to a get-together to carving pumpkins and putting up home decorations, hazards abound for revelers on all hallows eve.

Common Injuries on Halloween

Whether going out or staying home, several common hazards around the Halloween holiday often cause injuries. Some of the most common causes of Halloween injuries include pumpkin carving accidents, trips and falls, pedestrian accidents, driving under the influence, and costuming dangers. Accidents and hazards such as these commonly lead to injuries such as cuts, scrapes, and burns, as well as to more serious harm such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries.

Pumpkin Carving Mishaps

Nothing says, “Happy Halloween,” quite like a jack-o-lantern on the porch, but carving pumpkins commonly lead to serious injuries. To give their gourds the spooky looks they want, people often grab sharp knives from the kitchen or other household tools and items. Rather, they should use the knives and tools specifically designed for pumpkin carving. Doing so may help avoid some of the cuts and other finger and hand injuries that often send adults and children to emergency rooms, urgent cares, and doctors’ offices over this fall holiday.

Trick-or-Treating Scares

Going door-to-door for candy treats, often at dusk or after dark, trips and falls often cause injuries on all hallows eve. Forbes.com reports that one-third of all reported injuries on Halloween in 2017 occurred while putting up decorations or out walking the streets. Choosing costumes that fit appropriately, and are not oversized, may help prevent some trips and falls. Encouraging kids to stay in well-lit areas when out, as well as reminding them to keep their heads up while walking instead of looking down at their device screens, may also improve their safety while trick-or-treating.

Driving Haunts

Collisions involving other vehicles and pedestrians frequently contribute to injuries on Halloween. Drivers sometimes struggle to see children out walking in dark-colored costumes in the dusk or nighttime hours. Parents may help their children stay safe while trick-or-treating by including reflective tape or materials on their costumes and having them carry glowsticks or a flashlight to help improve their visibility for drivers. After an accident, those injured may pursue options to recover compensation for their injuries.

Costume Frights

Dressing up may not seem potentially dangerous, however, many people suffer injuries and reactions each year due to costuming issues. For example, face paints may cause severe skin breakouts or costuming eyewear such as contacts may contain iron, chlorine, or other harmful chemicals that may cause serious injuries to the eyes. To combat this potential Halloween hazard, people should take precautions such as testing makeup on small areas before applying it for their costumes and looking for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval when purchasing contacts or considering alternative eyewear.

Halloween accidents may leave people with serious injuries and concerns about how they will deal with associated losses, such as their medical expenses. However, when their injuries result from the negligence of others, they may consider options to recover damages to provide much-needed financial support as they focus on healing.

 

Exit mobile version