Traditions abound during this time of year, and the sense of community brings people together. Unfortunately, accidents can happen in a rush to ensure everything is perfect for your holiday gathering. With all the excitement of the festivities—decorating, cooking, traveling, it’s easy to get carried away. Unfortunately, injuries can claim easy victims during this season. To help you avoid injuries this holiday season, our legal team at Salam & Associates has outlined five common types of accidents.
Brain Injuries from Automobile Accidents
Automobile accidents are more likely to happen during holidays due to drunk drivers, distracted shoppers, and extended travel. The extra hours spent traveling and partying can lead to long nights behind the wheel, which increases the risk of brain injuries in a vehicular accident. This can result in various kinds of damage to different areas of the brain, including bruising, bleeding, tearing of tissue, compression, stretching, and shearing. Those who suffer TBIs may experience confusion and dizziness immediately following the accident, as well as more long-term effects such as fatigue, insomnia, and anxiety.
Burns & Fires
Burns can result from cooking, candles, fireplaces, and overloaded electrical circuits. Fires usually occur when people use too many lights or decorations on their trees or around the house. Electrical shocks happen when people plug too many appliances into an overloaded outlet. To avoid accidental fires, you can take simple steps like unplugging all electrical devices before you clean them, using fire-retardant candles, and ensuring your kitchen is well-ventilated while you cook.
Slip & Fall Accidents
As the influx of holiday shoppers hits stores and businesses, it could lead to slips, trips, and falls because of broken sidewalks, uneven floors, poorly lit paths, lack of sufficient signage, trash or branches strewn in the walkway, and rainy weather conditions. These accidents can result in fractures, sprains, or other serious injuries such as head trauma or spinal cord damage.
Cuts and Lacerations
We tend to decorate and celebrate more than usual when the holidays come around. We put up strings of lights and garlands, ornaments, and cards. Some of these decorations can be very sharp, and even something as seemingly harmless as a cardboard snowflake can leave a nasty cut. Unfortunately, many of us do not take proper care of our decorations during the holiday season, so we can quickly get cuts or lacerations in unexpected places.
Food Poisoning
Holiday feasts are a time-honored tradition. But before you start setting the table, keep in mind that hosting a large gathering can be stressful, and this stress can lead to mistakes. The most common mistake is serving raw or undercooked food. Undercooked meat or poultry can carry harmful bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, which cause stomach upset and diarrhea.
Call Us Today to Speak with a New Mexico Personal Injury Lawyer
The holiday season means numerous things to different people — some enjoy the sense of camaraderie that it brings, while others look forward to returning home after traveling. Still, others dread the increased traffic and potential health hazards of rushing through last-minute shopping. When you’re hurt in a holiday accident, it can be challenging to know what to do next.
At Salam & Associates, our lawyers have years of experience with cases like yours and can provide you with the support and knowledge you need to make a successful claim. We offer free consultations and top-tier representation for any case, no matter how complex. So call us today at (972) 437-1900 or complete this online form to learn how we can help you recover compensation for your injuries.
