Four Common Winter Injuries and How to Avoid Them
Love them or hate them, Midwest winters are a mixed bag of fun snow days and frightful freezing conditions. As a personal injury law firm, we are all too familiar with common winter injuries that may occur outdoors from slick roads, as well as ice-covered sidewalks, steps, driveways, and porches. Our team is also, unfortunately, aware of indoor hazards that may result from a misused or malfunctioning generator, portable heater, and fireplace.
To give you a better perspective, the National Safety Council shared that in 2021 there were 209 deaths and 254 injuries related to winter weather conditions. Thankfully, there are ways that us midwesterners can prepare in advance to help avoid winter injuries.
Related topic: Snow and Ice Slip-And-Fall
Common Winter Injuries Suffered in Kansas and Missouri
Businesses and property owners have a duty of care to maintain safe environments for visitors and employees alike. Failure to do so can result in costly medical treatments, missed time from work, an inability to fulfill daily obligations, or worst scenario–loss of life.
Here are four common winter injuries that our team has helped successfully represent for clients, family members, and heirs throughout Kansas and Missouri.
- Slips and falls. Slick icy surfaces often result in slip and fall accidents during winter. The most commonly reported types of bodily harm from a slip and fall include sprains and strains, broken bones, lower back injuries, and head injuries. To help avoid a winter slip and fall injury, avoid ice patches, wear shoes with good tread, and take slow short steps when possible.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the CDC, at least 420 people die and more than 100,000 people end up visiting an emergency department in the U.S. each year due to accidental CO poisoning. Negligent property owners, caretakers, and manufacturers of a defective product can be held responsible for carbon monoxide inhalation and related injuries and loss of life.
Away from home, you can protect yourself from this type of injury by packing a low-level CO monitor to test for dangerous fumes at a hotel or other boarding facility. You should also avoid rooms on the first floor or near a mechanical room to avoid toxic exhaust from getting pulled in via the wall HVAC unit or doors.
At your own home, install and properly maintain CO detectors. You should also make sure that you properly maintain your own home equipment, as well as provide proper ventilation when using furnaces, kerosene heaters, stoves, lanterns, gas ranges, portable generators, and charcoal or wood fireplaces.
- Burn injuries. Winter burn injuries are often the result of a person coming in contact with hot objects or a live electric current.
You can help avoid winter burn injuries by keeping your distance from open flames, properly maintaining heating equipment, don’t leave portable heat sources on unattended, and use heating devices with automatic turn-off switches if they should tip over.
- Wrongful Death. Any of the potential winter hazards above, or a weather-related car accident, could also result in the wrongful death of a loved one.
As these catastrophic winter injuries are so unexpected, you may not think anything can be done to prevent such a loss. However, you can help avoid them by regularly inspecting and maintaining your home and vehicles. You should also always be alert to your surroundings and trust your instincts if something smells or seems off about your surroundings.
Just know that if you or a loved one is hurt because of the negligence of another, you can get quality representation from Patterson Legal Group 24/7.
Contact Patterson Legal Group
Day or night, seven days a week, you can contact Patterson Legal Group. Our award-winning personal injury lawyers offer a “no win, no cost” guarantee with free consultations. We also have a proven track record of obtaining high settlements for our clients.
Don’t delay! Connect with us right away to learn how you can get help seeking the compensation you deserve after suffering a winter injury in Kansas and Missouri because of negligence. Call (888) 687-2400. We’re also available online through LiveChat and secure contact FREE online form.
