Halloween is one of those times of the year where children (and adults) dress up and get ready to embrace everything spooky outside at night. While it is a time of late nights, tons of candy, and maybe a sip or two of witch’s brew, it is also a peak time for injuries.
Emergency rooms are bursting at the seams with patients on Halloween, and while most are there for minor ailments, some come with life-threatening injuries. Automobile accidents, especially those with pedestrians, peak at Halloween. Therefore, if you wish to avoid becoming a statistic, you need to familiarize yourself with the injuries more common on Halloween – and know how to avoid them.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
The top accident seen on Halloween are car accidents. With children in the streets and adults leaving local Halloween parties, there are more people on the road when the sun goes down that night than usual.
Parents need to protect their young children by supervising them during their trick-or-treating. For teens, designate areas where your teen can go, and make sure they are wearing glue sticks or reflective material on their costumes so that they are seen by motorists.
Drivers need to be extra cautious on Halloween – especially in neighborhoods. Driving well below the speed limit, checking between cars, and avoiding all distractions is important.
Eye Injuries
Costumes come with sharp objects, like swords. While they might be props and made of plastic, if they are jabbed into someone’s eye, they can cause irreversible damage. Make sure your child knows how to use his or her prop. If they cannot be responsible with that prop, remove it from the costume.
Burn Injuries
Costumes for younger children should be flame retardant, but if you purchase them online, these costumes may be sold by a vendor that does not comply with the requirement. Therefore, purchase locally and check the package to ensure your child’s costume has flame retardant materials.
Neighbors that like to use real candles in their Jack-o-Lanterns pose a serious safety risk to children, especially if they have loose components of their costume that can catch fire, like a long cape.
Trip, Slip, and Falls
This time of the year is especially wet. Streets will be slick, sidewalks may have mud causing slippery surfaces, and children may be wearing inappropriate costumes that are a tripping hazard. Combine all these factors into a single night and you have a prime evening for trip, slip, and fall incidents.
To prevent these types of injuries, make sure your costume and your child’s costume is free of tripping hazards, and wear appropriate shoes for long evenings of trick-or-treating outside. Outside of your house, remove any potential slip or trip hazards so that you do not cause any accidents.
Injured on Halloween? Find an Attorney
Whether you were in a rear-end collision, tripped on a neighbor’s driveway, or you were burned by someone’s improper use of live flames for display, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries on Halloween.
It is imperative that you seek medical attention for your injuries first. Then, contact an attorney in the area.
Speak with attorney Seth Gladstein at Gladstein Law Firm, PLLC today. Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation at 502-791-9000 or request your appointment online.
