FOCUS ON THE JOY THROUGHOUT THE
HOLIDAY SEASON – BUT STAY ALERT
FOR POSSIBLE HAZARDS.
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Holiday
Harm?
From Halloween to Hanukkah, the
holiday season can bring horrors to
hinder your happenings. Have a
happy and healthy holiday season
by avoiding these mishaps!

Halloween Horrors?
For children and adults alike, Halloween can scream “Danger, Will Robinson!” Increases in
traffic crashes, drinking, and wide-spread use of carving knives should prompt greater
awareness on All Hollows Eve.

Halloween Horrors…
• Over 40 million children (5-14 yrs old) trick-or-treat.
• 77% of parents express Halloween-related fears including vehicle/pedestrian accidents, poisoning,
accidents, poisoning, abduction, or physical injuries (e.g., falls, burns, broken bones.)
• Halloween is consistently in the top three worst days each year for pedestrian injuries, as reported by
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Over 20% of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween involve a
drunk driver.
In past years, Halloween has seen a pedestrian killed every two hours
and a traffic accident every seven minutes.

Halloween Horrors, cont…
• Halloween is among the top three holidays resulting in the most ER visits.
Children 10-14 yrs old sustained the majority of injuries (30%).
• The greatest proportion of Halloween injuries children sustain are hand/finger
lacerations – oftentimes while carving pumpkins. New York is in the Top 3 pumpkin
producing states.
• Few reports of tampered candy are reported each year, but the famous urban legend
of the Long Island poisoning in 1964 lives on:
http://nypost.com/2011/10/30/li-woman-remembers-halloween-she-got-poison-with-candy/

Thanksgiving
Trauma
From the road to touch-football in the backyard, from the turkey in the fryer all the way to the
table – Thanksgiving can serve up a higher number of risks.

Thanksgiving Trauma…
• More traffic accidents occur during the Thanksgiving holiday than Christmas or
New Years.
• The National Safety Council (NSC) reports Thanksgiving as one of the top three
holidays. [source]
~500 Thanksgiving Traffic Fatalities Annually
Over 40 million Americans will drive 50 miles or more away from
home during Thanksgiving (AAA)

Thanksgiving Trauma, cont…
• Monikers like “Blackout Wednesday” or “Drinksgiving” alert us to the dangers of
alcohol + holidays.
• ~42% of Thanksgiving fatal accidents involve alcohol
• Data provided by the NY State Police report ~3,000 DWI tickets written each
November.
• Reports indicate increased domestic violence during Thanksgiving – associated
with increased alcohol consumption.

Thanksgiving Trauma…
• According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there are double the number of home cooking fires on
Thanksgiving.
• Deep Frying Turkeys results in an average of 5 deaths, 60 injuries and $15 million in property damage
million in property damage each year, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
According to the NSC, choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional
injuries – with the elderly most at risk. [source]

Christmas Crises
While making out your holiday wish list you might want to update your safety checklist to
avoid the delivery of some Christmastime chaos.

Christmas Crises…
Shoppers Beware the Busiest Shopping Season of the Year!
• ~100 Million Shoppers Pack the Stores on Black Friday
• 52% of Black Friday Injuries Occur at Walmart
• Pepper Spray is the #1 Most Reported Injury Incident

White Christmas?
• Traffic Fatalities Increase Significantly on the First Snowy Day. New York City’s
First Snowfall Typically Occurs in December. [source]
• Snowfall Dramatically Increases the Number of Non-Fatal Accidents and New
of 66 snow days annually.
• Each year, most of New York state has a 75%+ chance of a White Christmas.
• In 2013 (the most recent year stats are available), there were 5,660 vehicle
December in New York State with snowy road conditions. Over 530 of those
Christmas Day. [source]
Accidents are Expected to Increase in 2015 Because Christmas Falls
over a Weekend.

Fire Tragedy for the Holidays
• The Red Cross reports almost 47,000 home fires during the winter holidays, claiming over 500 lives and
2,200 injuries. [source]
• Each year there are ~6 deaths, 22 injuries and $18 million in property damage due to fires that start with
Christmas trees.
• FEMA reports that December is peak time of year for home candle fires. [source]
Don’t Go Christmas Caroling @ the Emergency Room
~5,800 Emergency room visits during the holiday are due to falls related to outdoor decorating.
The CDC reports that there are ~250 injuries EACH DAY during the holiday season.

Stay Safe &
Avoid Holiday Hazards.
KaplanLawyers.com
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