The Most Common Christmas-Related Injuries & How To Avoid Them
Christmas is supposed to be a happy, restful, carefree time, but unfortunately Christmas also tends to be one of the most dangerous times of the year when it comes to the amount of accidents and injuries that occur.
When you think about it, it makes sense – people are more rushed and stressed during the holidays than other times of year, more alcohol is consumed, more decorations are hung, more food is cooked and prepared, the weather is more severe, and more wires/fires are present in homes. “Silent Night” doesn’t accurately describe the chaos that normally ensues in a home around the holidays, especially when guests are visiting or children are present.
According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (an international organization), more than 80,000 people go to the emergency room each year seeking treatment for Christmas-related injuries and more than 6,000 of these injuries require hospitalization.
Many Christmas-related injuries are the result of carelessness and could be easily prevented. Because The Florida Law Group’s personal injury lawyers understand how costly and painful injuries can be, we wanted to share a few of the most common Christmas-related injuries and discuss how you and your loved ones can avoid them this holiday season. The last thing your 2020 needs is a hospital visit or painful injury on or around Christmas!
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) tracks emergency room visits at about 100 hospitals annually. Between 2011 and 2015, they documented more than 1,700 Christmas-related injuries. Here are some of their findings:
The riskiest Christmas activity? Decorating. Most Christmas-related injuries are sustained while hanging up decorations (outside, inside), taking them down, or setting up the tree. These injuries include falls, falling and striking objects, lacerations from broken ornaments or from trimming the tree, electric shock from Christmas lights, etc. 1,200 of the injuries the CPSC recorded were somehow related to decorating.
Young children, specifically below the ages of 3, were the age group with the highest rate of injuries, a scary and sobering fact for any parent. Those injuries included swallowing ornaments, or getting hit by heavy stocking holders. (The next highest injury prone group was 25-55).
Lacerations (cuts) were the #1 most frequently sustained Christmas-related injury in the report, accounting for 327 injuries out of 1,700. Strains, contusions, and fractures came next, at 291, 247, and 247 incidents respectively.
However, not all injuries occur around the home. The U.S. Department of Transportation found that over the past 5 years, an average of 300 people were killed by drunk drivers in the week between Christmas and New Year’s. In 2016, 781 people lost their lives in drunk-driving related accidents in December alone.
Not as many people will be traveling this year due to the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean that the roads will be completely clear of drunk drivers, or that the temptation to drive after just a little alcohol will not be present. Indeed, people are more out of practice driving this year than any other, which could increase the amount of vehicular accidents that occur.
In order to avoid becoming a statistic this holiday season and injuring yourself or others, it’s important to slow down, be aware of potential dangers, and exercise caution – especially when driving or decorating. The best way to keep accidents from happening is to realize the potential of them occurring and simply stay alert!
Never drive intoxicated, even if you are only buzzed or tipsy. Designate a sober driver before the festivities begin. Ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft are available to help transport you safely if there is no DD, or you can choose to spend the night where you are. The risks of driving drunk aren’t worth it; it is a crime, and you could seriously hurt or kill others on the road.
If you are decorating, don’t use unstable chairs to stand on; use a ladder, follow the ladder rules, and have someone spot you or hand up decorations. Use gloves or a broom to clean up any broken glass the minute the mess is made, and always keep glass out of the reach of children or pets.
Make sure cables aren’t a tripping hazard in your home, and always turn off all Christmas lights before you go to sleep so no fires occur. Test your lights before stringing them around the tree and ensure that any that you buy meet the latest safety standards.
Cutting something (food, boxes, etc.)? Use sharp knives – dull ones are more likely to slip. Cut away from your body using proper techniques.
Keep the kitchen relatively clear of people except those who are cooking, and always turn off kitchen appliances before eating.
The Florida Law Group wants to wish everyone an injury-free, very merry Christmas and New Year’s. While COVID-19 presents an added risk this holiday season, we hope that these tips will help you protect yourself against these preventable accidents and enjoy the celebrations safely!
For a different, but similar, detailed list of common holiday accidents and injuries, see our blog post on 2020 holiday injuries to avoid here.
If you are injured in an accident this Christmas, particularly of a vehicular nature, and you need legal representation, don’t hesitate to reach out to our experienced, knowledgeable, and highly skilled personal injury attorneys. Our lawyers serve clients in the Tampa Bay Area, Miami, Orlando, New Port Richey, and more! We’ve recovered over a billion dollars in damages for injured accident victims all over the state of Florida who were victims of driver negligence, product liability, and more. We proudly offer all of our legal services to clients on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you never pay us unless we win your case! Call us for a free consultation!
