What precautions should I take this Halloween to prevent injury?

Halloween injury

Halloween is a fun-packed day for children. Children can wander around their neighborhood trick-or-treating. With all the excitement and chaos going on, children are easily distracted. This could lead to serious accidents and injuries. If your child is participating in trick-or-treating, they should take the necessary precautions when dressing up, crossing the street, and approaching homes to ensure they have no injuries. In the unfortunate event, your child does suffer an injury on Halloween, reach out to an experienced Prince George’s County Personal Attorney who can help you seek justice.  

How can I protect my child from injury this Halloween?

There are numerous precautions you can take to protect your child from injury this Halloween. Some of those precautions include:

Finding the perfect costume

Parents need to ensure their child has dressed appropriately. This means trick-or-treaters should be wearing costumes that properly fit them. If a costume is too long or too big, it may cause your child to trip or fall resulting in injury. If your child desires to dress up in a costume with a face mask, you should instead use face paint. Face masks will block your child’s eyesight which can be very dangerous. Make sure if they do use face paint, they aren’t rubbing their eyes which could also result in blurred vision. Additionally, your child’s costume should be a lighter color or have some reflective elements to enhance their visibility to drivers. Another precaution you can take is having your child carry a flashlight or glow stick. 

Be Careful While Walking

Children want to race from house to house to collect as much candy as possible. When trick-or-treaters are walking, they should remain alert for any reckless drivers on the road. They will move in unexpected ways that could cause drivers to accidentally hit them. Trick-or-treaters should only cross the street at crosswalks and refrain from crossing behind parked cars. Children should never be distracted while walking or crossing. Children should form a “buddy system” which can help children keep each other safe while trick-or-treating. When walking past someone’s driveway, make sure no cars are trying to back up. The most important safety tip a trick-or-treater should follow is never to assume that a car sees them.

Be Careful Approaching Houses

Trick-or-treaters must not be distracted while approaching a neighbor’s home. If homeowners are participating in the Halloween celebration, they have a responsibility to uphold a safe environment for any guests. However, not every homeowner upholds this responsibility. Children should be careful if any decorations are blocking the walkway up to a house. A child could easily trip, which could result in injury. If a child is walking upstairs to a front porch, they should be careful of loose steps. If any jack-o-lanterns are being used to decorate the house with an open flame inside, avoid going anywhere near it. The open flame could catch on your child’s costume if it is flammable, which could cause serious burns. 

If your trick-or-treater is injured this Halloween, don’t hesitate to contact one of our trusted and skilled attorneys who can help your recover damages.