The holidays are a time for families across the world to enjoy time together. For many, they also provide a period of relaxation. However, with each holiday season comes a significant increase in accidents and personal injuries. Personal injuries are those that cause bodily harm rather than any damage to property. Some of the most common personal injury cases during the holidays include car accidents, burns, falls and workplace injuries.
Automobile accidents are extremely common in Mississippi. In 2016 alone, there were more than 600 people killed due to fatal automobile accidents, which can occur for a number of reasons. Sometimes, drivers are more focused on responding to their text messages than on arriving at their destination safely. Texting and driving and distracted driving, in general, is the number one cause of car accidents across the entire United States. Additionally, during the holidays, the weather typically becomes colder, which can cause large amounts of ice or snowfall. Ice can lead to slick roads resulting in more accidents along with snowfall impairing a driver’s visibility. Keep your family safe this holiday season by putting away all distractions and wearing your seatbelts at all times.
Food is an important component of many holiday parties. Many families during this time scramble to get everything “just right” for their loved ones. However, if the person who is cooking takes their eyes off of the stove for too long, a fire might start, putting the entire house into disarray. A fire can easily be prevented by removing all flammable items from the stove area along with never leaving anything that might be cooking unattended for long periods of time. A simple mistake such as forgetting to put on an oven mitt while taking the fresh Christmas cookies out of the oven could result in third-degree burns. A third-degree burn almost always requires immediate medical attention, as it can cause damage to the nerves. You can keep yourself safe from burns by keeping oven mitts nearby and never carrying too many hot and heavy dishes at once.
Decorations, such as Christmas trees, are vital to this time of year, as they truly help to keep the holiday spirit alive. At times, decorating a house or a Christmas tree can lead to personal injuries, which typically consist of falls. Someone who is standing on the top step of a ladder to add the finishing touches onto their tree (usually the decoration on top) might misjudge the room they have and fall off and land on their back or another body part. This can cause extreme soreness or even broken bones. Regardless of the extent of the injury, a trip to the doctor would be necessary. In order to avoid this, make sure to exercise extreme caution while putting up decorations of any kind.
With the number of parties and gatherings that happen during the holiday season, people might find themselves extremely occupied with all of the planning efforts, leading to tiredness. If they were to go into work the next day feeling this way, they would be distracted and could cause a workplace accident to occur, especially if their job involves heavy machinery. If you find yourself feeling stressed or extremely fatigued, make sure to take a break.
Mestayer & Associates provides guidance for clients throughout the Gulf Coast area including Pascagoula, Biloxi and Gulfport. We are happy to give you information on what to do next in the case of a personal injury. If you are making future plans for your estate, then contact us today and let us help take care of every detail of your finances. Call us today at 228-762-1193 or visit www.pascagoulalaw.com.
No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
This article does not create an attorney-client relationship. I am licensed to practice law in Mississippi and have based the information presented on US laws. This article is legal information and is for entertainment and informational purposes only and should not be seen as legal advice. You should consult with an attorney before you rely on this information. Any information provided in this blog is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge, but that there may be omissions, errors or mistakes.