Santa, the dreidel, the nativity and more — while these may be the familiar things that make you think of Christmas, holiday accidents with injuries are also incredibly popular and commonplace at this time of year. Learning more about the most common types of holiday accidents can help prevent a nasty injury and allow you to seek out the right type of help if you have already been injured. Take a look at these common holiday injuries and be on the look out for negligence and hazardous conditions this year:
3 Common Holiday Accidents
Shopping Accidents: Black Friday brawls have become so commonplace that they are simply expected as a way to launch the holiday shopping season. While these skirmishes, fights and stampedes make headlines, the entire holiday shopping season poses a risk to those who venture out to the stores. Because the volume of shoppers is so high, stores inevitably become short-staffed, making the entire space more dangerous. Fewer employees means slower cleanup of spills, items on the floor and hazards; it also means that shoppers wait impatiently in line for longer periods, leading to shorter tempers. From parking lot crashes and disputes to fights over the hottest toys of the year, simply heading to the mall could result in an injury this year.
Post Party Driving: The festivities are over, but the alcohol consumed is still lingering. Partygoers hit the streets in record numbers in December, weaving their way home after indulging at a holiday party. Drunk and distracted drivers are a real risk any time of year, but the holidays brings more drivers (both sober and non) to the roadways. In some cases, conditions are also not good, leading to even more risk. When you head out, watch for distracted, drunk and raging drivers in higher numbers than usual and proceed with heightened caution.
Product Failure: A product can injure you any time of year, but since more of us are receiving and handling new items, these accidents peak in December. Failed products cause emergency room visits to soar during this festive season.
If you have been injured by someone else’s negligence in a store, on a road or even in your own home, we can help. We hope you can avoid these common injuries, but accidents happen to even the most observant of us. Contact us after an accident or injury and ensure you are treated fairly by the other party involved and their insurance company. We’re ready to help when you need us most. Contact Harshbarger Law today.