Author: Shelby Benavidez
Contributing Attorney: Dana Nichols, attorney
Table of contents
TL;DR: What You Should Know About Thanksgiving Injuries
- Cooking is a leading cause of Thanksgiving injuries. Preparing Thanksgiving dinner comes with a risk of serious burns.
- Slips, trips, and falls are another common source of injury on Thanksgiving. A spilled drink can send someone straight to the floor, while a competitive game of backyard football might end with a broken bone or concussion.
- Car accidents spike around Thanksgiving. Holiday traffic can be dangerous, especially when drivers are distracted or impaired.
- To help prevent injury this holiday, pay attention while cooking, clean up spills as they happen, and make a plan to get home safely if you’ll be drinking.
- Thanksgiving accidents happen, and not every injury will lead to a personal injury claim. But if someone else’s negligence caused your injury, you may have grounds to seek compensation.
Thanksgiving is supposed to be about good food, family, and maybe sneaking a second slice of pie when nobody’s looking. But anyone who’s hosted the holiday knows things don’t always go according to plan.
The turkey is taking a little longer than expected. You have a house full of hungry guests, and someone just knocked a full glass of sweet tea onto the kitchen floor. Kids come running through, one slips, and now there’s fear of a concussion.
Most Thanksgiving mishaps end with a little embarrassment or a funny story to tell next year. Others aren’t so funny. A serious burn or a bad fall could mean spending the rest of your holiday in the emergency room.
And if someone else was responsible for what happened, you might have more than an unfortunate holiday memory on your hands. So, let’s explore some common Thanksgiving injuries and when they might lead to a personal injury claim.
Common Thanksgiving Injuries
Cooking Injuries and Burns on Thanksgiving
Whoever’s cooking Thanksgiving dinner deserves a medal. It’s a lot of work, and even experienced cooks can get hurt when things get hectic.
Burns are one of the biggest concerns. A splash of boiling water or a hot oven rack can do more damage than you might expect. Oven burns on hands are especially painful because you use your hands for just about everything, making even minor burns frustrating to deal with.
We won’t argue: deep-frying a turkey is the best way to eat it! But never put a frozen turkey into hot oil or overfill the fryer. The oil can bubble over and catch the grass on fire, potentially causing serious burns or even a house fire if the flames spread.
Pressure cooker injuries deserve some attention, too. These appliances are lifesavers when trying to cook food quickly, but if the lid opens too soon without releasing enough pressure, hot food can spray out and burn anyone nearby. It’s also a common occurrence for a pressure cooker to be defective, even when someone follows the instructions.
Slips, Trips, and Falls During Thanksgiving Gatherings
One minute, everyone’s enjoying Thanksgiving dinner. The next, someone has slipped on a puddle of gravy and landed flat on their back. A fall like that might leave you with nothing more than a bruised ego, but it could also cause a broken bone or head injury. Older adults face an even greater risk of serious injuries from falls.
And what about those Thanksgiving decorations? It’s tempting to grab the nearest chair when you can’t quite reach the spot where you want to hang something. But losing your balance while standing on furniture can end with a pretty nasty fall.
Then there’s the annual family football game. You know the one. Everyone’s been talking about last year’s questionable touchdown call, and Uncle Mike is determined to prove he’s still got it. A little friendly competition is part of the fun, but one awkward tackle or bad landing could leave someone with a sprained ankle or concussion.
Thanksgiving Car Accidents and Holiday Travel Risks
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year. Unfortunately, not everyone makes it to their destination safely. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, 41 people were killed in traffic crashes across Texas during the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday period.
Holiday traffic can test anyone’s patience. You’ve been stuck behind the same car for 30 minutes when someone suddenly cuts into your lane. Now everyone’s slamming on their brakes. A distracted or speeding driver can cause a crash in those conditions.
Drunk driving is another serious concern. Some people leave Thanksgiving celebrations after drinking and convince themselves they’re fine to drive. Unfortunately, everyone else on the road is left dealing with the consequences of that decision.
And don’t underestimate how tired you might be after a full day of celebrating. If you’re driving home late and struggling to keep your eyes open, you may not react quickly enough when traffic suddenly stops.
Preventing Common Thanksgiving Injuries
We can’t promise your Thanksgiving will go exactly as planned. It’s highly likely that someone will burn the rolls or forget the deviled eggs, and there’s an even higher chance that at least one family member will say something everyone will wish they kept to themselves. But there are a few things you can do to keep your holiday safe.
Thanksgiving Fire Safety: How to Prevent Burns and Injuries in Kitchen Fires
Cooking a Thanksgiving feast takes some serious multitasking. You finally have the turkey in the oven when Grandma calls needing a ride. It’s tempting to leave something cooking while you take care of another task. But unattended cooking is a major cause of kitchen fires, so don’t wander off while something’s on the stove.
Here are a few Thanksgiving fire safety tips to help prevent cooking injuries:
- Stay near the stove. If you need to leave the kitchen, turn off the burner first.
- Keep towels away from heat. Oven mitts and dish towels can catch fire if they’re too close to a hot burner.
- Turn pot handles inward. This helps keep someone from accidentally knocking a pot of hot food off the stove.
- Use dry oven mitts. Wet fabric can transfer heat and cause painful burns.
- Be careful with turkey fryers. Use outdoor fryers away from buildings, and make sure the turkey is completely thawed and dry before lowering it into the oil.
- Never pour water on a grease fire. If a small pan fire starts, turn off the heat if it’s safe and cover the pan with a metal lid. If the fire spreads, get everyone outside and call 911.
And if the kids are begging to help with dinner, let them! Just find something they can do that doesn’t involve heat or sharp knives. Setting the table is a lot safer than reaching over a pot of boiling water.
How to Prevent Slips, Falls, and Holiday Game Injuries
Spilled gravy on the kitchen floor? Don’t leave it for later. It only takes a minute to wipe up a spill, and that minute could save someone a painful fall.
When decorating, please don’t use your dining room chairs as a ladder. You want those little turkeys hanging in just the right spot, but a nasty fall isn’t worth it, and a ladder is much more reliable.
As for the family games, things always seem to get pretty competitive when everyone’s together. By all means, keep the family traditions alive, just don’t let it get out of hand. Horseplay in the backyard can be dangerous when there are holes or rogue sticks that aren’t immediately visible.
Thanksgiving Driving Safety Tips for Holiday Travelers
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a day nobody wants to travel, and yet everyone does. It doesn’t matter how early or late you leave to beat traffic; you always end up bumper to bumper.
Prepare for that possibility and give yourself some extra travel time so you’re not rushing to get to dinner. If someone cuts you off, don’t let it ruin your day; keep your distance and focus on getting there safely.
And whether you’re traveling hundreds of miles or right down the road, don’t force yourself to get behind the wheel if you’re exhausted. If you’re heading to dinner, your family would much rather have you arrive late than never arrive because you were in an accident. And after dinner, give yourself a minute to rest if you need to before heading out.
Never forget that when alcohol is involved, you should always figure out how you’re getting home before you start drinking. Ask someone to be your designated driver, arrange a rideshare, or see if you can spend the night.
When Can Thanksgiving Injuries Lead to a Personal Injury Claim?
If you accidentally touch a hot oven rack while pulling out your pumpkin pie, there’s probably no reason to call a lawyer. Sometimes an accident is just that, and nobody else is legally responsible.
But, let’s say you’re using your pressure cooker exactly as instructed when the lid suddenly blows off, spraying hot food everywhere. You end up with serious burns, and it turns out the pressure cooker had a defect. In that case, you may be able to hold the manufacturer responsible for your injuries.
Or imagine you’re driving home from Thanksgiving dinner when a drunk driver runs a red light and crashes into your car — now you’re the one dealing with the injuries. In that situation, you may be able to pursue compensation from the driver who caused the wreck.
The point is — yes — you can get hurt without having a personal injury claim. But there are circumstances when your injury could have been avoided if not due to someone else’s negligence.
At Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers, we help injured Texans understand their rights and fight for the full value of their injuries. If your Thanksgiving took an unexpected turn, learn more about our personal injury lawyers and how we may be able to help.
Frequently Asked Questions About Thanksgiving Injuries
Why Am I Getting Injured So Easily?
If you’ve been getting hurt more often than usual, think about what’s changed lately. Have you been getting enough sleep? Are you having trouble keeping your balance? Maybe you’ve been so busy that you’re not paying attention to where you’re going.
During Thanksgiving, it’s especially easy to get distracted when you’re trying to get dinner ready or keep up with a house full of guests. But if you keep getting hurt and can’t figure out why, it’s worth talking to your doctor.
What Are the Top 5 Most Painful Injuries?
It’s hard to say which injuries hurt the most because pain is different for everyone. A bad burn can be excruciating, and so can a broken bone. Spinal injuries, crush injuries, and deep cuts can also be extremely painful.
Unfortunately, Thanksgiving accidents can cause some of these injuries. If you get seriously hurt, don’t try to tough it out. Get checked out by a doctor.
What Are the Worst Days for Traffic During Thanksgiving?
You may save yourself some frustration if you can avoid traveling on Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Those are usually two of the busiest days on the road during the holiday since everyone is getting off work. And Sunday isn’t much better, with everyone heading home after the holiday. Of course, some highways will be worse than others and at different times. You can get live updates on traffic, so if nothing else, at least you’ll be prepared for it.
What Are the Most Common Holiday Injuries?
Burns are pretty common during Thanksgiving because so much of the day revolves around cooking. Food brings guests, and with that many bodies in one house, slip and falls become another concern.
Unfortunately, one of the leading causes of injury during Thanksgiving is car accidents. Everyone is traveling, and more traffic and congestion bring more collisions. Pay attention to the road, lead with patience, and never drink and drive.
At What Age Do You Become More Injury Prone?
While there’s no magic birthday when you suddenly become more likely to get hurt, as people age, their balance and muscle strength can change, which may make falls more common and the risk of injury much higher. So if you plan to have older guests in your home this Thanksgiving, take a few extra precautions to clear out any trip hazards.
