Childhood Injuries That Occur Over the Holiday Season

Children are always at a risk for injuries, but this can be compounded by inattentiveness when you’re busy with holiday festivities. Always keep your children under close supervision and keep potentially dangerous items out of their reach to help keep them safe.

If your child is hurt during the holiday season due to the negligence or actions of another, seek a personal injury attorney to look after your child’s welfare.

Check out these common types of childhood holiday injuries and how to prevent them.

Common Types of Holiday Childhood Injuries

Burn Accidents—Family get-togethers often mean big meals that require extra activity in the kitchen. This could increase the risk of your children burning or scalding themselves on hot stoves or pans. Always keep hot pot and pan handles out of reach and never leave cooking food unattended, especially when kids are trying to help. Also, watch children around open flames, fireplaces, ovens, space heaters, power outlets, and other fire hazards to prevent a burn injury.

Food Poisoning—With extra cooks in the kitchen and/or various foods brought over by friends and relatives, food poisoning can be a heightened holiday risk. Food poisoning in children could result in serious conditions like kidney failure. Always ensure raw meats are handled properly and all food items are stored and reheated appropriately.

Accidental Poisoning—Besides food poisoning, accidental ingestion of poisonous substances can occur over the holidays, especially when adults are distracted by guests. According to the CDC, 50,000 children visit emergency rooms each year due to accidental poisoning from ingesting medications not meant for them. To help prevent accidental poisoning from any harmful substance, always lock away and remove them from reach so that a curious child won’t be tempted to stick it in their mouths. 

Slip & Falls—While it doesn’t snow often in New Orleans, families traveling for Christmas and New Year’s Eve may venture into areas that get snow and ice. Children eager to play outdoors may end up trying to maneuver on slippery surfaces that could cause them to fall and hurt themselves. Or, they may slip indoors on trouble spots from melted snow, ice, or other wet conditions. As with anytime throughout the year, remind your children to be alert to slippery surfaces and not rush into anything to help prevent a nasty slip and fall.

Borrowed Toys—Visiting relatives over the holidays might also lead to your children playing with toys, some of which they may not be mature enough to use. This is especially true of riding toys that require balance your children may not yet possess. Always ensure children wear helmets and other protective gear and have appropriate supervision. Some toys may also have manufacturing or design defects. Inspect toys carefully and remember a New Orleans child accident injury attorney can also pursue compensation for defective products, whether or not they are on a recall list.

Sports Injuries—Getting together with friends and family may also mean taking part in athletic events. While playing sports is fun, injuries do sometimes happen. Even when it’s a casual game of pickup basketball or flag football, be sure your children warm-up properly, take frequent breaks, drink plenty of liquids, and wear appropriate protective gear.

Car Accidents—Car accidents remain the biggest injury risk for kids and adults during the holidays., More people on the road naturally always increases the potential for accidents. Children are at a bigger risk of injury or death when not properly restrained. Always make sure your kids buckle up or are properly secured in age-appropriate safety seats. Also, check around your car for children playing. Watch out for children riding bicycles, skateboards, or scooters in the roadway.

New Orleans Holiday Childhood Injury Prevention

Vigilant supervision of your child can prevent most personal injuries, but you might not anticipate someone else’s negligence. Was your child hurt over the holidays? Contact an experienced New Orleans child injury lawyer at Mike Brandner Law today. Our legal team also handles wrongful death cases in the event that you lost a child to someone else’s carelessness.

We’re available 24/7! Call us, use our LiveChat online, or send us a message through an online form. We offer free consultations and never collect a fee until you win your case.