Three Unanticipated Ways to Get Hurt This Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday is a favorite for many people, particularly those who enjoy a feast with friends and family. While many people look forward to this day of traditional celebration, nobody anticipates being injured as a result of the festivities. Here are a few ways people can be injured unexpectedly, as well as a few ways to avoid them.

Cooking the Turkey

A turkey is the traditional meal for Thanksgiving, but the proper way to prepare it is widely debated. Popular methods include baking, roasting, smoking, or even deep-frying. Some of these methods are safer than others, but all of them present a serious burn risk. Always handle your hot dishes with care and using the proper protective equipment, like hot pads or oven mitts, and never ever leave your home while your bird is cooking. Be particularly careful about deep-frying, a method that combines scalding hot oil and an open flame, as this also presents a major fire risk as well.

Traveling

The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest of the year for travel, particularly for road travel where it is the busiest. Expect significant traffic wherever it is you are going and be sure to stay alert while driving. The busiest road travel day of the year, the day before Thanksgiving, is also one of the biggest days of the year for auto accidents, particularly for drunk drivers, as it is statistically the busiest night of the year for bars and other alcohol-serving establishments.

Prepare Your Home Properly

If you are hosting Thanksgiving at your home, then you are legally required to afford the highest level of care to all of your guests, as they will be considered “invitees” under premises liability law. This means that you need to repair any potentially-dangerous property hazards to prevent injury, or properly secure and indicate any that you cannot repair to alert people to their presence. Any injuries that may occur due to property features in your home may make you liable for damages.

However you plan on celebrating Thanksgiving this year, be sure to do everything in your power to avoid a potentially devastating injury to you or someone else. If you have been injured, don’t hesitate to contact a Clearwater personal injury attorney. Attorney Bryan Caulfield, Esq. has been named a Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer by the Florida State Bar, attesting to his acumen and client service.