Autor: Shelby Benavidez
Abogado colaborador: Brad Russell, abogado
Tabla de contenido
TL;DR: How to Prevent Halloween Injuries
- Jack-o’-lantern carving is one of the leading causes of Halloween injuries. Keep the gore to a minimum by using the right tools and keeping little hands away from sharp objects.
- When selecting your epic costume this year, consider how it fits. Capes that drag the ground, masks with eye holes that don’t quite line up with your actual line of sight, and high heels too hard to walk in can cause a disastrous trip and fall.
- Expect more little ghosts and goblins near the road. If you’re driving through a neighborhood on Halloween, slow down and keep an eye out for excited trick-or-treaters darting across the street to the next house.
- If drinking is part of your Halloween plans, make sure driving isn’t. Nearly half of Halloween-night crash deaths involve alcohol, so have a plan in place before you ever leave the house.
What is the creepiest Halloween costume you can imagine? A clown standing at the end of a dark hallway? A little kid in an old-fashioned doll mask? Someone dressed as a scarecrow who you were positive was a decoration until they moved?
Halloween is supposed to be a little scary. That’s part of the fun. But there are a few risks that can make the night scary for the wrong reasons.
Thousands of people are treated in emergency rooms for Halloween-related injuries each year. According to CPSC, an average of 3,200 Halloween injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments each year over a three-year period. More than half were related to pumpkin carving.
Then everyone heads outside. Children are wearing dark costumes and walking through neighborhoods after sunset. Halloween parties are happening in every neighborhood. It’s no surprise that NHTSA reported that nearly half of Halloween-night crash fatalities in 2023 were alcohol-related.
So, is Halloween not fun anymore? Of course it is. You just don’t want a trip to the emergency room to be the most memorable part of the night. Here are some of the most common causes of Halloween injuries and what you can do to help protect yourself and your family.
Common Causes of Halloween Injuries
Pumpkin Carving Is a Leading Cause of Halloween Injuries
Word of advice: a meat cleaver isn’t a proper jack-o’-lantern carving tool! Pumpkin carving accounts for 55% of Halloween-related injuries, and nearly 88% of those injuries involved the hands, with thumbs and index fingers being the most common victims.
This isn’t really a shocking statistic. You’re pushing a sharp knife through a thick pumpkin. The pumpkin moves. Your hand slips. Maybe the knife gets stuck and you use more force to pull it free. All of a sudden, your pumpkin has a lot more red in its design than you planned.
Trips and Falls While Trick-or-Treating
When you’re wearing a mask, your peripheral vision is limited already. Add that to running across yards with a heavy bucket full of candy, and you have a high chance of a nasty fall. Dark sidewalks, lawn decorations, and a cape dragging behind you aren’t doing you any favors! In fact, nearly one-quarter of Halloween-related injuries involve falls while decorating, tripping on costumes, or walking while trick-or-treating.
Halloween Car Accidents and Pedestrian Injuries
The streets of nearly every neighborhood come alive on Halloween night. Kids are screeching as they run to the next house, hoping they have the good candy. Teenagers are taking advantage of a little extra freedom. Adults are rushing home from work to get ready for their Halloween party. And, unfortunately, not everyone will make the smart choice to stay sober behind the wheel. It only takes one bad decision to destroy the lives of an entire community.
How to Reduce the Risk of Halloween Injuries
Carve Pumpkins Without Carving Your Hand
You don’t have to give up the jack-o’-lantern; just change how you make it. Use a pumpkin-carving kit instead of a large kitchen knife. Put the pumpkin on a stable surface before you begin. Keep your hands, tools, and work area dry so nothing slips.
It goes without saying that adults should always handle the cutting and sharp tools when carving pumpkins with young children. Or, an even safer option, skip carving altogether! Paint the pumpkin with glow-in-the-dark paint, use stickers, or glow sticks. You still get the front-porch masterpiece without the sharp objects.
And once the pumpkin is finished, consider a battery-powered candle instead of an open flame to reduce the risk of fires and burns.
Choose Costumes You Can Actually Walk In
The coolest costume in the neighborhood isn’t worth much if you can’t make it down the driveway. Before Halloween night, have children put on the whole costume. Check the length. Can they walk up and down steps without stepping on it? Can they see clearly through the mask? Do their shoes fit? Can they turn their head and see traffic?
Then add something that helps drivers see them. Reflective tape can be added to costumes, candy bags, or outerwear. Flashlights and glow sticks can help children see where they’re walking while also making them more visible.
We don’t want you to ruin your costume. We want to make sure your little vampire, zombie, or Wednesday Addams makes it home safely.
Make a Halloween Traffic Safety Plan Before the Party Starts
Halloween parties are something adults look forward to all year long. You have an excuse to get dressed up and go out with your friends. We won’t shame you for going out, but your plan for getting home should happen before the first drink. Have someone else drive, call for a ride, or stay the night if you need to. Never drink and drive.
Parents should also talk with children about road safety before trick-or-treating begins. Walk on sidewalks when possible. Cross at intersections and crosswalks. Avoid stepping into the road between parked vehicles. And younger children should always trick-or-treat with an adult.
Keep Halloween Fun and Injury-Free
We can’t remove every risk from Halloween. There’s so much excitement around the holiday—and that’s a good thing! Kids are going to run toward the house with the giant candy bars. Costumes will get elaborate. Pumpkins will be carved. Adults will have parties. Someone will inevitably jump out from behind a bush and scare the life out of you. That’s Halloween.
However, safety should be a priority to protect the people who make the holiday fun in the first place. Most precautions take only a few minutes. Check the costume before leaving home. Grab a flashlight. Slow down when driving through a neighborhood. Put away the kitchen knife and use a carving tool. Decide who is driving before anyone starts drinking.
A few simple adjustments to your routine can make sure the scariest thing your family brings home is a creepy costume rather than an injury.
Unfortunately, we can’t control the actions of others. Someone else may make a dangerous choice that leaves you or someone you love hurt. If you’re injured in a Halloween crash, a drunk driving accident lawyer or holiday car accident attorney can help you understand your options and what may happen next.
Learn more about how the accident lawyers at Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers help injured people protect what matters most after a serious crash.
FAQs About Halloween Injuries and Holiday Accidents
What Holiday Has the Most Car Accidents?
While holiday car accident statistics show that crashes increase during holidays in general, it’s hard to say whether one holiday has more than the next. Thanksgiving is frequently cited as the most dangerous driving holiday because there’s a lot of traffic on the road for an entire week. Christmas, Fourth of July, and New Year’s Day car accidents are usually attributed to drunk driving. Pedestrian accidents are more likely on Halloween, with so many children out trick-or-treating after dark.
Each holiday comes with its own risks, and unfortunately, there’s no shortage of ways a celebration can turn into a tragedy. The best thing we can do is pay attention to what’s happening around us and think about how our choices behind the wheel could affect someone else.
What do we feel when we are injured?
Injuries affect people differently. You may feel pain, soreness, swelling, stiffness, numbness, dizziness, or weakness depending on the injury. You may also feel shaken, scared, angry, confused, or overwhelmed after a serious accident.
Some people may experience delayed symptoms because adrenaline can temporarily mask pain. If you’re involved in a car accident, your safest option is to get checked out by a trusted medical professional, even if you think you feel fine.
What Causes Someone to Be Injury Prone?
An old injury might make certain activities harder, or things like being tired, losing your balance, or wearing the wrong shoes could make another injury more likely. Unfortunately, some people seem to have a little more bad luck than others when it comes to injuries.
However, repeated injuries can also point to an underlying health or movement issue. If you keep getting hurt without knowing why, consider talking with your doctor about what may be contributing to it.
What’s the Most Lethal Halloween Costume?
As much as we’d love to crown one Halloween costume the most dangerous of them all, there isn’t any reliable national data to back that up. But some costumes definitely come with more risks than others.
Think about it. You’ve got masks that make it nearly impossible to see, costumes that blend in with the black of night — and don’t forget about costumes made with materials that can easily catch fire! The CPSC recommends choosing costumes that fit well, adding reflective materials, and looking for flame-resistant fabrics.
So, is Darth Vader the most dangerous costume on Halloween? Probably not. But put him in a floor-length cape, a mask he can barely see through, and send him across a dark street? I bet he’d immediately regret willfully going to the Dark Side.
