7 Tips for Avoiding Personal Injury During the Holidays

There’s so much excitement surrounding the holidays. With all the family and friends’ parties, events, and happy occasions to attend, no one has time for accidents or injuries. Keeping your family safe and protected from potential hazards is always top of the list of priorities.

Although the risk of injury changes this time of year, there are some great tips for avoiding personal injury during the holidays. The good news is that most accidents during the holidays are entirely avoidable. It’s all about prevention and staying alert and aware of your surroundings as well as teaching your family to do the same.

Top Holiday Injuries

While there are always many ways to injure ourselves throughout the year, the holidays bring about a whole new set of potential accidents. The activities that we take part in during our free time are often different during the holidays, and these changes can sometimes affect our safety. Some of the most common ways injuries happen during the holidays include:

• Climbing ladders to decorate – We all love decorating our homes with our favorite embellishments and décor. Sometimes we can get a little too eager with our holiday beautifications, though. Hanging lights, wreaths, and more way up high can be very dangerous and lead to all kinds of injuries. So take any extra precautions you can to stay safe.
• Holiday cooking mishaps – Whether you’re carving a turkey, baking cookies, or testing out new appliances, a cooking catastrophe can happen when you least expect it. Don’t leave the kitchen while things are on the stove, and watch out for those hot stoves and pans!
• Drunk driving after attending holiday parties – With so many holiday events and parties to attend, alcohol can often be abused, and drunk driving can ensue. Whether you drink alcohol or not, drunk drivers can affect each one of us. Watch out for your friends and family, and keep each other and those around you safe!
• Winter athletic injuries – There are so many fun things to do during the cold, snowy season of the year. Skiing and snowboarding are among the most popular winter sports, as well as snowshoeing, bobsledding, ice-skating, and more. Unfortunately, all these sports come with their own typical injuries, including knee, ankle, and head injuries, to name just a few.
• Sledding accidents – Sledding injuries can happen fast when you’re with a group of friends or family. Getting hit while walking up the hill by another sledder or even speeding along too fast and flipping your sled or tube can hurt!
• Winter car accidents – Car wrecks seem to be a regular sight as we travel the roads during the winter. There may be new drivers that aren’t quite as used to the snow as some, and even the most experienced snow drivers can be caught off guard by a slick spot and incur.

Tips for Avoiding Holiday Injuries

Although there are many ways to get hurt during the winter, we can also do things to avoid personal injury during the holidays. A small amount of prevention can go a long way in keeping you and your family safe for the holidays. Following is a list of things to do to reduce the risk of getting hurt:

1. Decorate early. If possible, take the time to decorate before the snow falls and the ice covers your roof, driveway, and sidewalks. You may feel silly decorating for Christmas around Halloween, but in the end, it’s a wise choice for staying safe.
2. Read and follow the instructions. Before attempting to use equipment, hang decorations or cook something new, read all the directions first and follow them! Then, have others (family or friends) help. Especially use extra caution when decorating things up high.
3. Decorate during the day. Planning to decorate when it’s light outside can help you avoid accidents that could otherwise be unavoidable in the dark. If you do have to do things when it’s dark, take extra time and be careful!
4. Watch for ice! Even when you don’t think it’s there, if it’s cold enough, ice can be everywhere. So take extra care as you walk from your car in a parking lot or drive on slick roads. Give yourself extra time and try to wear proper footwear. Also, sprinkling salt on your front steps and sidewalk can keep you and your guests from taking a fall.
5. Keep your equipment running right. Making sure you take care of your equipment for winter is a must in keeping yourself safe and out of harm’s way. For example, if a heater was broken last year, do what you can to repair it before the winter season comes along again.
6. Don’t work alone. It’s a good idea never to work alone, particularly when you are hanging lights or other décor up high using a ladder. It’s always helpful to have a second pair of hands, and if something were to happen, you would have someone there to help you immediately.
7. Give yourself extra time to travel. Leave yourself ample time to get from place to place. Whether you’re traveling a long distance to see family for Christmas or are just headed out to do some holiday shopping, adding extra time into your plans can be very beneficial and just might keep that heart rate down!

With the extra time you’ll spend on the road, consider keeping a full tank of gas in your car just in case you were to be caught in bad traffic or road conditions. Play it safe, and always be prepared.

If an Accident Does Happen

Injuries, especially during the holidays, can steal the fun from any occasion. We plan to stay safe, but the reality of it all is that injuries can still happen no matter how hard we try to avoid them. While taking steps to stay safe is important, knowing who to call when things go wrong is crucial. Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer, L.L.C. is the personal injury legal team you can rely on. Call (504) 522-2304 for an appointment to discuss your injury case in detail and find out your options moving forward.