Christmas is the happiest time of the year, with people coming from far away to spend time with family and friends to celebrate the festive holiday. However, in all the fun and laughter it is important to be cautious of injuries that could occur during the holiday season. Each year, approximately 14,000 people are injured due to some type of Christmas-related accident. Below are some of the top injuries that occur around Christmas.
Electric Shocks
Although Christmas lights are lovely and beautiful to look at, they can be very dangerous. They can cause severe shocks to people when they are putting up or taking down the Christmas lights. The chances of shock increase, even more, when putting lights outside because they or the outlet could get wet or be covered by snow.
Cuts and Lacerations
Lacerations often occur from touching broken tree ornaments during the decorating process. Cuts can happen from chainsaws when you are cutting down the tree that you plan to decorate or if you need to reshape the tree.
Falls
Falls are also common around Christmas time for people when they are decorating their houses and Christmas. When decorating the outside of the house, people use ladders or chairs to reach higher places, but if the ladder or chair is not been properly balanced then people increase their risk of falling down and hurting themselves and possibly needing to go to the hospital because of the fall.
Smoke Inhalation and Burns
Burns can happen in several ways around the holiday season. You could get burnt from electric shocks from the Christmas lights.
You may not have been aware that a living Christmas tree needs maintenance, otherwise it could dry out and result in catching fire from the lights that are on the tree. Around this time, people are using candles more and that could increase the risk of a fire if the candle is left unattended for too long. Along with all of this, people tend to do a lot of cooking around the Christmas holidays. If the cooking is not properly attended to then that chance of a kitchen fire increases. Smoke inhalation and burns from these fires can lead to emergency room visits.
Traffic Accidents
With everyone ready for the holidays and celebrating with friends and family, there are likely to be more people on the road. Between the increased number of drivers on the road and poor weather conditions of winter, accidents have a good chance of happening.
While Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, without proper safety precautions the merriment can easily lead to worry and a hospital visit. All of the injuries listed can be mitigated by exercising some safety precautions.
At the Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC, we hope that you have a safe and wonderful holiday season. However, if you or a loved one are injured during the Christmas season and suspect it is due to the negligent action of another, contact a personal injury lawyer for a consultation.