Halloween is meant to be a fun time of the year for many. Unfortunately for children and parents, it’s the deadliest holiday over any other holiday during the year. Approximately 5.5 deaths occur every October 31st, with 6-7pm being the most dangerous hour.
Below are five of the most common injuries that occur on Halloween and tips to avoid them.
- Pedestrian collisions with cars. This is definitely the deadliest of all the injuries. You should use sidewalks and always cross with your young children. Talk to them about not darting quickly from house to house and to always pay attention. Unfortunately, as the evening gets later, you need to be very aware of drunk drivers that are leaving Halloween parties.
- Trip and fall injuries. These can occur due to the excitement and pace of the night. Also, it can be very dark so make certain you and your children have flashlights. Also, if your child’s costume is too long this could cause serious tripping issues.
- Burns. Always buy costumes and wigs made of flame retardant material. All it takes is a child getting their costume too close to a candle in a jack-o-lantern. Try to avoid using real candles in your pumpkins but rather a glow stick.
- Pumpkin carving accidents. Carving jack-o-lanterns can be a blast but remember to use special plastic pumpkin carving tools rather than a knife. In 2013, 56 percent of all the Halloween injuries were due to cuts from carving!
- Dental injuries. You may wonder how this can be one of the more common Halloween injuries but often kids are eating hard or sticky candy that can cause cracks and broken teeth! Also, children running with excitement from house to house and falling can crack a tooth or possibly knock some out.