The holidays are seen as a wonderful time of celebration, travel, and meaningful moments with loved ones. But as schedules fill up, crowds grow, and holiday decorations go up both inside and outside the home, the risk of accidents tends to rise. From private residences to busy roadways and public spaces, understanding the most common holiday accidents helps highlight where injuries often occur and why taking extra precautions during this season matters.
1. Decoration-Related Accidents
Holiday decorations can create accidents because of additional equipment, adjusted spaces, and temporary set ups. For instance, extension cords used for lighting can create tripping hazards. Falling ornaments or decor is another factor that can inflict harm. Decorating often requires climbing ladders, which can increase the risk of falls. Furthermore, maintaining live trees or seasonal displays can clutter walkways or introduce moisture, thus heightening the likelihood of accidental injuries.
2. Slip and Falls
Homes, stores, and venues become more crowded during the holidays. Hazards, such as spilled drinks or loose decorations, can easily trigger falls. These cases can result in broken bones, head injuries, or even long-term mobility issues. The risk heightens during the holiday season because of heavier foot traffic.
3. Drunk Driving
Holiday celebrations typically involve alcohol at gatherings, which can increase the number of impaired drivers on the road.ย While grabbing a couple of drinks for the holiday season is a fun activity, drunk driving collisions can be severe since alcohol can affect reaction time and judgement, contributing to a high-speed or wrong-way accident.
The chances of a drunk driving collision greatly increase around major holidays, including New Year’s Eve, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving. With that in mind, if you are out and about during these holidays, it is best to proceed with extra caution and make the safest decisions possible to ensure everyone’s safety.
4. Pedestrian Accidents
Busy shopping centers and filled parking lots will see a rise in distracted drivers and pedestrians rushing in and out of stores. As drivers look for parking, they may be unable to detect people crossing nearby, while pedestrians will assume drivers will stop for them. These circumstances can become especially common during the holidays because of congestion and distractions from both sides.
5. Car Accidents
Without a doubt, one of the most common accidents during the holidays, whether you are on long road trips to visit family or going on vacation for the holidays, long car rides can leave drivers exhausted and car accidents can happen at a moments notice.
In addition, as everyone is busy for the holidays, many drivers may try to drive while fatigued in an attempt to meet their schedules and this can be very dangerous. To some people’s surprise, drowsy driving is just as worse as driving while under the influence, because it reduce alertness, impacts your decision making, and creates a variety of dangerous conditions that can cause a catastrophic accident.ย ย
6. Kitchen Injuries
Holiday meals are often made in large quantities, and can be done in crowded kitchens. Grease fires, scalds, oven burns, and other types of burn injuries are all fairly common, especially when people are multitasking or are drunk while cooking. While burning food is a terrible inconvenience that can affect a holiday’s festivities, it can also potentially lead to a dangerous fire where people can sustain severe burn injuries. In more severe cases, entire kitchens and houses can be burnt to the ground under the right conditions.ย
7. Holiday Decor Fire Accidents
A rare, but totally plausible type of accident that can occur during the holidays, holiday decor, like candles, string lights, and Christmas trees can pose serious fire risks if not properly maintained. While it is understandable to properly decorate the house for the festive seasons, it is vital to ensure they won’t catch on fire. More specifically, dry trees and overloaded outlets can contribute to house fires and create tons of damages and injuries.ย
8. Toy-Related Injuries
Children usually receive new toys during the holidays, and some may come with small parts, sharp edges, or require adult supervision. Accidents can involve choking, falls, or suffering intense cuts, and while these types of accidents may appear to be very minimal, they can potentially cause serious injury or a chain reaction of events that can cause severe injuries. Which is why, it is very important of your surrounding especially around children during the holiday season.ย
9. Rideshare Accidents
Many people depend on rideshare services during the holiday season to avoid drinking and driving or to manage a busy schedule. Busy periods during these times can allow rideshare drivers to earn a lot of money and as a result, this can cause rideshare drivers to push themselves, leading to fatigue and rushed decisions that result in accidents.
In addition, rideshare drivers are more likely to run into a car accident due to being on the road for long periods of time, and once you factor in that they have to go to some of the most congested areas in a city, then the chances of getting involved in a rideshare accident becomes only a matter of time.ย ย
10. Weather Conditions
Winter holiday weather can introduce rain, ice, and snow, making both driving and walking more dangerous. Whether you are driving or walking down the street, slippery surfaces and limited visibility can significantly raise the likelihood of accidents. In any event, there will be a dispute regarding liability, because in accident cases of severe weather, the smallest details will matter because it will come down to whoever exercised the least amount of care.ย
Hurt During the Holidays? West Coast Trial Lawyers Is Here to Help
If you were hurt during the holidays as a result of someone else’s negligence, you do not have to go through the legal process on your own. Accidents during these periods can leave lasting physical, emotional, and financial burdens that strain long after the celebrations have come to an end. At West Coast Trial Lawyers, our personal injury lawyers are readily available to step in, handle the insurance companies, and pursue accountability on your behalf so you can focus on healing with a peace of mind.
We offer FREE consultations to look into what happened and explain your options, with no upfront fees to get started. Reach out today by calling (213) 927-3700 or completing our quick online contact form.
