Holiday Hazards to Avoid This Year

By S. Randall Hood | December 13, 2016

Holiday Hazards to Avoid This YearThe holiday season is a great excuse to get together with friends and family and eat and drink too much. We like to keep the happy in the holidays, but we know that this time of year sees a higher of accidents around the house and on the road. This year, take an extra minute to protect yourself and your family so that an unscheduled trip to the emergency room doesn’t interrupt the party.

Accidents happen more often around the holidays

This Old House said it best: “We don’t mean to be kill-joys during the most joyous time of the year, but the stats don’t lie: According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 12,500 of you have to leave the company of your loved ones to rush to the emergency room due to holiday-related accidental injuries.” Unfortunately, some of the most common injuries are also the most obvious; falls from unsecured ladders, trips over decorations and cuts while carving a roast or turkey. Here are our top picks for problems to avoid this season from the same article:

  • Kids full of Christmas Spirits. No party is complete without libations, but make sure that those half-empty glasses find a home if there are little ones or even teens around. Underage drinking at your house can put you in a bad position, even if you weren’t aware it was happening.
  • Not-So-Merry Medicine. While you can keep prescription or other medications safely out of reach of tiny hands, overnight guests might not be so careful. Give your guests a place to put their pills out of reach of little tykes, and make sure pocketbooks and bags are safely hung up.
  • Wrap Rage. You wouldn’t dream of forgetting the batteries during gift exchanges, but scissors are becoming just as necessary. Those impossible-to-open packages are sending more people to the emergency room every year. In the wrong hands, even those scissors can cause problems. Bottom line? Be prepared, and be careful.
  • High-Strung Lights. More than half a million people get hurt falling off ladders every year. When decorating the house, have a game plan, take your time, don’t overreach, and make sure your ladder is securely set before climbing. As for the lights, make sure your electrical connections will stay dry and secure. Fires belong in fireplaces, not on your roof or under the tree.

Keep your family safe this holiday season by minimizing the chances of injuries or catastrophes. Making your house safe and keeping up on your insurance policies can help protect you when accidents happen, but the best way to rest fully assured is to know that the expert South Carolina personal injury attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips LLC will fight for your rights and your family in the event of an accident. Have a safe and happy holiday, and call 803-327-7800 or contact us for a free consultation when you need us.

Posted in Personal Injury