Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

Haunted houses, trick-or-treating, costumes, and pumpkin carving are some of the reasons children love Halloween. Unfortunately, these same activities cause many injuries each year. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) suggests that parents use these tips to keep children safe during various activities at this time of year:

1) Select costumes carefully. Poorly fitted costumes and masks can lead to visibility problems that mean slips and falls, head injuries, bone fractures, dislocations and other serious injuries. Well-fitted costumes and face paint (rather than masks) are usually the best option.

2) Select trick-or-treat routes carefully. Unfamiliar routes in the dark increase the odds of slipping and falling. If your children plan on visiting unfamiliar areas after dark, make sure that there is an adult supervising them and that there are plenty of flashlights on hand to light the way.

3) Carve pumpkins carefully. This common activity leads to serious skin injuries and even injuries to bones and tendons each year. Children should not be allowed to carve pumpkins. Adults should use specifically designed carving knives rather than kitchen knives, which can slip on the pumpkin skin and cause injury. Adults should always carve using small cuts, pushing the knife away from the body. Carving should only be done in a well-lit area and care should be taken to keep all areas and surfaces dry to prevent the knife from slipping. Buying a pre-carved pumpkin is a good idea to prevent injuries.

4) Review first aid before carving a pumpkin. If you do decide to carve your family’s pumpkin, review what to do in case of an injury. If you cut yourself while carving, elevate the wounded area above the heart and apply pressure to the area with a clean towel or cloth. If there is excessive bleeding or if after 15 minutes the bleeding has not slowed or stop, have someone take you to the emergency. If at any time you cannot move your fingers or you experience numbness in the area of the injury, visit your local emergency room.

5) Keep children visible to motorists. While most motorists are cautious on Halloween, children are often excited about candy and can run out in the road, which can lead to car accidents. Flashlights and reflective clothing can help prevent some accidents.

While many Florida parents worry about scary stories and bad candy that could hurt children at Halloween, experts agree that there are more frightening risks lurking at this time of year, and many of those risks have to do with children’s Halloween costumes. Among the risks that parents should be aware of:

1) Slip and fall accidents. On Halloween night, streets are dark and may be slippery with spilled candy, fallen leaves, and pieces of broken carved pumpkins. Costumes that obstruct a clear vision of the sidewalk can mean that children slip and slide. In addition, too-long costumes can cause tripping and falling.

2) Car accidents. Costumes should be easily visible and should have lights or reflective pieces so that cars can easily see children who are out trick or treating. There are many children’s flashlights and strobe lights that can add to a child’s costume and can keep the child safe on Halloween night.

3) Burn injuries. Parents should look for flame retardant costumes, since jack o' lanterns, candles and other spooky decorations do pose a fire risk for children at this time of year. Also, longer costumes that drag around or have dropping sleeves can pose a greater fire hazard, since children may not always be aware of where their costume ends. Trim up costumes to keep trick and treaters safe.

4) Wounds and other injuries. All swords and props should be made from flexible, softer materials, so that children do not accidentally harm one another in play.

5) Other possible injuries. In addition to accidents, parents do need to be aware that not every adult is being cautious around children at Halloween. Parents should always accompany children who are out trick or treating. Many communities have initiatives such as safe areas for Halloween celebrations and Halloween patrols to help parents.

The American Red Cross, the National Fire Protection Association, and Florida Fire Marshal Alex are warning Florida residents about the risks of using alternative forms of fuel. The move comes after a survey conducted in late September showed that Florida residents were concerned about rising fuel costs. In fact, many Florida residents surveyed planned to supplement their heating with stoves, ovens, portable space heaters and fireplaces to keep fuel costs low.

According to Sink, home fires already cause far too many fatalities and serious burn injuries as well as other forms of personal injury. Those residents considering using alternative sources of energy should proceed with caution, he notes. Stoves and ovens should be used for cooking only and families should be cautious and use space heaters with automatic shutoffs only to prevent fires. Anyone planning on using a fireplace to stay warm this winter should have that fireplace cleaned professionally and checked by a professional – items stuck in chimneys and build-up can cause fire.

Sink is worried that Florida residents hoping to use alternative forms of fuel are not careful enough with their heating options. According to the September survey, 36% of participants with fireplaces never cleaned or had their chimneys inspected. Another 23% of survey participants did not think it was vital that someone is home when the stove or oven are on or when food is cooking on the stove.

More than 23 700 Florida homes were affected by fire in 2007. More than 144 Florida residents died from fires last year. Another 592 suffered burn injuries and other personal injuries as a result of fire. To prevent such high numbers in 2008, Sink suggests that Florida residents:

*Install smoke detectors and ensure that those detectors are in working condition.
*Develop a fire escape plan that is familiar to everyone in the family.
*Avoid using extension cords with space heaters and portable heaters.
*Install a carbon monoxide detector if fireplaces or wood burning stoves will be used in the home.
*Turn out lights, turn off appliances and blow out candles before leaving the house and before retiring to bed.
*Monitor candles carefully the entire time they are lit, especially if children or pets are present.
*Keep a working fire extinguisher or two in the home.
*Contact the gas company to re-light the pilot light or to do any other furnace maintenance.
*Practice a fire escape plan regularly.
*Avoid placing space heaters in bedrooms, especially children’s bedrooms.
*Keep space heaters and alternate forms of heat at least three feet away from walls, curtains, furniture, and other flammables.

Researchers believe that Florida brain injury patients – and patients across the country who have sustained traumatic brain injury due to car accidents, workplace accidents, and other causes – may have a cause to celebrate. The National Institutes of Health haw awarded Orlando Health a $2.25 million grant. The grant is specifically earmarked for traumatic brain injury research.

The grant recipient and lead researcher at Orlando Regional Medical Center, Dr. Linda Papa, plans to use the money to develop more effective tools to diagnose brain injuries. According to Papa, about 90% of the roughly 2 million Americans who sustain a traumatic brain injury yearly sustain either a mild or moderate brain injury. In some instances, diagnosing these injuries is challenging for health care professionals.

Papa’s study will begin in 2008 and will try to create blood test that will help doctors evaluate biomarkers in the blood. Biomarkers are released by the brain during brain injury and Papa and her team believe they may be able to devise a test that not only helps to indicate brain trauma but could also potentially help tell doctors the seriousness of a traumatic brain injury. If successful, the test would help doctors select better treatment options for patients.

The research into this issue is badly needed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 5.3 million people in the US currently live with brain injury-related disabilities. Almost 50,000 people die each year in the US due to brain injuries. Many people who suffer from a brain injury face life challenges such as suicide, depression, divorce, unemployment, substance abuse and other problems.

The difficult thing about traumatic brain injury is that many forms of brain injury can be avoided. Careful driving on the road, for example, can reduce the car accidents that lead to brain injuries. Careful evaluation of water depth before diving can help prevent not only brain injuries but also the spinal cord injuries that occur each year when swimmers dive into water that proves too shallow.

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