How to Avoid a Halloween Accident

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How to Avoid a Halloween Accident

Halloween is one of the most joyous holidays for children of all ages. Whether you’re into dressing up in elaborate costumes, going to haunted houses, or hoarding mountains of candy, it can be one of the most amazing times of the year. Unfortunately, with so much atypical activity happening on October 31, getting into a Halloween accident is common. To help you and your family avoid a personal injury from a Halloween accident, Patterson Legal Group has put together the following safety guide.

Keeping the “Ow” Out of Halloween

There are many things to consider while trying to keep Halloween safe for your family, trick or treaters, and guests. The good news is that increasing safety can be done easily. Here are some of the best tips Patterson Legal Group has received from our clients and friends.

Halloween Safety For Parents

  • Keep a 1:4 Adult-to-Child Ratio: Trick or treating can be an absolute blast for groups, but it can also be a nightmare to manage. If you’re taking a group of kids out for trick or treating, try to have at least one adult supervisor for every four children. This makes it easier to keep an eye on everyone and ensure that the kids in your group avoid a pedestrian accident.
  • Plan a Safe Route: There are many great resources to plan a safe trick-or-treat route (and to maximize candy!). One of our favorites is Nextdoor’s Treat Map. These types of maps can help you find a safe and easy route for your family, while avoiding houses that aren’t participating in Halloween festivities.
  • Inspect Your Child’s Costume: While costume safety has greatly improved over the years, there are still some dangerous products that make it to store shelves. Thoroughly inspect your child’s costume to make sure it doesn’t have any sharp edges or parts that make it difficult for them to breathe. If their costume is dark, make sure to add a bright or reflective band so that motorists can see your kids.
  • Inspect Your Child’s Candy: Be sure to inspect your child’s haul of treats before they eat them. Make sure that everything is sealed properly and there aren’t any holes in the packaging. Sadly, there are some people that tamper with candy and make it dangerous for children.

Halloween Safety For Motorists

  • Drive Slowly: It sounds simple (and it is), but drive slower than you normally would during Halloween. There will likely be many children outside and they’ll be more excited about getting candy than mindful of motorists.
  • Be Careful Around Intersections and Crosswalks: Again, there will likely be more foot traffic than normal on October 31. This means that there will be more people crossing the street than usual. Be especially careful around crosswalks, intersections, and in residential neighborhoods. Some kids will be running around quickly, while others might have dark costumes that you might miss.
  • Keep An Eye Out For Road Obstructions: For some kids, Halloween means littering the streets with shaving cream, silly string, eggs, and other objects you normally don’t find on the road. Some kids take things too far, knocking over mailboxes and larger objects into the street. Keep an eye out for any atypical obstructions in order to avoid a car accident.

Halloween Safety For Homeowners

  • Keep Pathways Clear: Many people love to decorate their homes for Halloween. If you do so then be sure to keep pathways clear, whether it’s inside or outside of your house. While decking out your home with cobwebs, bats, jack-o-lanterns, and more adds to the holiday, it can also lead to a slip and fall Halloween accident.
  • Set Up Your Lighting Carefully: In addition to spooky decorations, some people set up ornate lighting for Halloween. Be sure that your lights are working safely and that you aren’t using any damaged extension cords. Damaged or worn cables can lead to an electrocution accident.
  • COVID Concerns: Some people are still uncomfortable getting close to strangers due to COVID-19. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to participate in Halloween fun. Some people set up a treat box where kids can pick up candy, while others set up a long tube to slide candy down to kids. You can even decorate your tube to make things more festive.

Injured in a Halloween Accident? Contact Patterson Legal Group.

Patterson Legal Group hopes that you follow the tips above to make Halloween safe for your family. Be sure to share this guide with your friends so that they can keep their families safe. Should you get injured in a Halloween accident of any kind, please contact us for immediate assistance.

For more than 25 years, Patterson Legal Group has been helping people in Kansas and Missouri get the compensation that they deserve for their injuries. Our attorneys have won more than $200 million on behalf of our clients. Best of all, we work on a “no win, no fee” basis, so you don’t pay us a dime until your case is won.

You can reach Patterson Legal Group 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a free consultation at (816) 920-0000. You can also reach us online by filling out a secure contact contact form or contacting one of our LiveChat representatives. Reach out to us today to make sure you get the money that you’re entitled to for your injuries.

The information on this blog is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to serve as legal advice for an individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship nor does viewing this material constitute an attorney-client relationship.