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Personal Injury & Denver Holiday Disasters

Mark A. Simon Dec. 22, 2015

Maybe you should have left that strand of lights alone. Perhaps the star being a little crooked on top of a 10-foot tree should have been looked at as nuanced instead of imperfect. It’s possible not every window needed its very own individual wreath hung from the outside. Whatever the reason for your trip to the hospital or emergency room this holiday season, rest assured you won’t be the only one in the waiting room with a holiday-decorating-related personal injury in Denver. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) – tasked with protecting consumers from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with consumer products – has some fairly sobering data on holiday decorating injuries from 2014.

According to the CPSC, the final two months of last year had an estimated 145,000 holiday decorating injuries with twelve fatalities in hospital emergency rooms across the country; an average of 240 injuries per day during the most joyous time of the year. The most common reasons for these injuries include back strain, lacerations, falls, fire, and the ingestion of foreign objects. Here at Mark A. Simon, we’ve compiled a list of what you can do (or not do) to avoid any unnecessary visits to the emergency room this holiday season:

  • Ladders – According to the CPSC, the vast majority of holiday decorating related injuries – a whopping 36 percent – are a direct result from falls. Half of all of those falls are off of ladders. We can never stress enough how imperative it is to have assistance at all times when using ladders. Cold temperatures, wind, and slippery surfaces in the winter are extremely dangerous when it comes to decorating for the holidays.

  • Live Trees vs. Artificial – If you’re the kind of home that likes real trees, they do take a bit more attention than artificial. Make sure to keep real trees away from any heat sources, and it is essential to keep them very well watered so they take as long as possible to dry out. They do smell wonderful, but they are quite dangerous when not properly attended to throughout the season. Most artificial trees made today are fireproof and much safer than real.

  • Fire Places and Candles – Everyone loves a good candle or a fire going in the winter. What many fail to realize is how many decorations are made of dried foliage and other highly flammable materials. Candles should be kept out of reach of anything that could possible catch fire, and stockings are best left far away from the flame of the fireplace.

If something terrible should happen and you find yourself being driven to the emergency room for an injury, contact Mark A. Simon after you’ve first taken care of your health. Many holiday related injuries happen because of defective products, or because a specific product is innately hazardous. Call us and we’ll give you a free consultation. If your holiday related injury wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to fair compensation. Call us today to get started!