likelihood of sustaining certain injuries tends to increase during the
holidays. This phenomenon comes as no surprise when considering the unique
risks associated with some of the activities that occur exclusively during
this time of year. This blog discusses ways of minimizing the dangers
of certain holiday activities so your holiday cheer doesn’t turn
into fear.
Thanksgiving Food
One often overlooked risk associated with the Thanksgiving holiday is food
poisoning. Although a traditional Thanksgiving meal isn’t complete
without a whole roasted turkey, an undercooked turkey carries the risk
of foodborne illnesses such as salmonella bacteria, like its fowl brethren:
chicken. The salmonella bacteria causes fever, gastrointestinal pain,
diarrhea, and vomiting. To prevent infection from such foodborne diseases,
make sure you cook your turkey to a minimum internal temperature of 165
° F. If you are a guest at a Thanksgiving feast that someone else
prepared, do not eat turkey or chicken meat if it is has a deep pink color.
A pink tint to the meat strongly suggests that the turkey was not sufficiently
cooked to kill harmful salmonella bacteria.
Black Friday
Black Friday has become somewhat of a modern Thanksgiving tradition. Initially,
malls faced a swarm of customers who would rush in to take advantage of
the holiday sales promotions. Customers sustained injuries from being
literally trampled by a stampede of customers. Today, most retailers are
prepared for the characteristic surge in customer attendance and implement
more effective controls over customer foot traffic. However, the risk of a
slip and fall accident in a customer-packed retail store dramatically increases, especially when
customers track water and ice onto the premises. You can avoid a slip
and fall injury by watching where you step and wearing weather-appropriate footwear.
Drunk Driving
No holiday season is complete without a holiday party. Whether it is an
office that hosts a holiday party for its employees or your close friends
who decide to engage in the season’s revelries, you can usually
count on alcohol to fuel the festivities. Unfortunately, a significant
increase in drunk-driving-related
traffic accidents is consistently correlated to the holidays. Extreme winter weather and
intoxication represent two very deadly ingredients in a holiday recipe
for disaster. If you plan on partaking in any holiday libations, you should
also plan on setting up an alternate means of travel to replace driving.
If you or a friend are too intoxicated to drive, you can call a taxi or
ride-sharing services such as Uber or Lyft.
Christmas Decorations
Christmas trees and lighting present some of the biggest risks of injury
during the holiday season. In particular, you should beware the fire hazards
connected with using real Christmas trees. Real pine trees quickly dry-out
and shed their needles as they can no longer draw water from the ground.
The dried-out branches and needles from a Christmas tree transform into
kindling for a house fire when introduced to an ignition source. To minimize
the risk of causing a house fire, considering using an artificial Christmas
tree this year.
However, if your devotion to Christmas authenticity prevents you from using
an artificial Christmas tree, make sure your real tree’s water source
is at an adequate level above the base of the trunk. When a pine tree
has insufficient water, its treetrunk starts to discharge a resin which
seals off the severed end, keeping the tree from absorbing water.
Additionally, hospital emergency rooms experience a surge in fractures,
sprains, and other injuries that are characteristic of falling from a
significant height. The most common injuries that emergency rooms treat
during the holidays consistently involve people falling from a ladder
while hanging up Christmas lights. This risk can be avoided by having
a professional service handle the task of stringing up Christmas lights
for you, or by making sure you have a proper ladder for the job, including
someone else to stabilize the ladder while you are on it.
Don’t Let an Injury Ruin Your Holidays
Despite your efforts to mitigate the safety risks of holiday activities,
other people may not be so careful. If you are injured due to the carelessness
of another person, you should contact a Brooklyn personal injury lawyer
for legal advice. At Koenigsberg & Associates Law Offices, we have experience litigating personal injury matters, including various holiday-related injuries. We are passionate about advocating for your right to be compensated for the injuries you wrongfully sustained as a
result of someone else’s negligent conduct.
Call us anytime at (718) 690-3132 or contact us online for a free case evaluation today.
