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Avoiding Halloween Accidents
Oct 07, 2020 by Adler Markoff & Associates
We have officially entered the holiday season! The first major holiday on the calendar is Halloween. It’s a time for candy, spooky ghost stories, and dressing up. People of all ages can enjoy this holiday. While Halloween is a cherished holiday by many, it is not without its dangers. Unfortunately, with so many people out and about, there are many Halloween accidents every year.

Far too often, people go out on Halloween expecting to enjoy their night only to have it end in tragedy. Even with the threat of the current pandemic looming, 148 million U.S. adults plan on engaging in Halloween-related activities this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey.

Most activities saw a decrease compared to 2019, except for safe at-home activities, such as decorating their homes (53%), carving a pumpkin (46%), and dressing up their pet (18%), which all look to increase in 2020. Regardless, people still plan on celebrating, which means Halloween accidents can happen.

Halloween is meant to be a time of fun and excitement. Unfortunately, the negligence of others often leads to disaster for many. If you or someone you love suffered a Halloween accident injury, give the Oklahoma personal injury attorneys at AMA Law a call today.

Common Halloween Accidents
Millions of people look forward to Halloween every single year. Many people have fond childhood memories of dressing up with their friends and going trick-or-treating in search of candy. As we get older, celebrating Halloween changes. Trick-or-treating is replaced with costume parties and elaborate costumes. Often, these festivities also involve alcohol.

Regardless of if you are a child trick-or-treating or an adult going to a costume party, you can still experience a Halloween accident injury. Some of the most common accidents that occur on this holiday include:

Car accidents
Drunk driving accidents
Pedestrian accidents
Hit-and-run accidents
Premises liability accidents
Product defect accidents (often with costumes and decorations)
Often, these accidents are of no fault of your own. Others’ negligence leads to these disasters. If you find yourself in a Halloween car accident, Halloween premises liability accident, or suffer a personal injury in some other accident this holiday, contact AMA Law and let us help.

Halloween Accident Statistics
While Halloween is full of candies and costumes, it also comes with some inherent risks. You may be one of the most careful people in the world, but not even you can prevent others from acting recklessly. Often, someone else’s recklessness is the cause of most Halloween accidents.

To give you a better understanding of the dangers of Halloween, we have compiled some essential statistics:

Pedestrians have a 43% higher risk of dying in a Halloween pedestrian accident than on regular evenings.
From 1975 to 2016, there were 608 pedestrian fatalities in Halloween pedestrian accidents.
Children between the ages of 4-8 were ten times as likely to die in a pedestrian accident on Halloween.
Children are twice as likely to die in a traffic accident on Halloween.
Each year, there are 3,800 Halloween-related injuries.
86% of adults bring alcohol with them to Halloween parties.
52% of deaths in car accidents involve alcohol.
October ranks second in traffic fatalities, trailing only July.
Your risk for Halloween accidents is highest at around 6 pm.
House fires injure 41 people each Halloween.
As you can see, Halloween is not all fun and games. Whether driving in a car or walking around your neighborhood, you have to practice extreme caution to protect yourself and your loved ones better.

Children are at increased risk this night. According to Protect America, 70% of parents do not join their children when they go trick-or-treating. Even further, 82% of parents do not use reflective tape or other aids to help their children be visible in their costumes. Additionally, 63% of children who go trick-or-treating do not carry a flashlight with them.

Avoiding Disaster This Halloween
Nobody wants to see their holiday fun come to an end because of an accident. While you cannot prevent others from acting recklessly, you can take preventive measures to keep you and your loved ones from suffering a personal injury.

Here are some helpful tips to keep you and those around you safe:

Do not let your children trick-or-treat alone.
Use reflective tape or another reflective material on your children’s costumes to help other pedestrians and drivers see them better.
Thoroughly look through your child’s treats for choking hazards, potential tampering, and allergic reactions.
Always carry a flashlight while trick-or-treating.
Make sure all Halloween makeup is non-toxic.
Make sure all costumes, wigs, and accessories are fire-resistant.
Always look both ways before crossing the street.
Yield to cars.
If older children trick-or-treat alone, have a detailed plan of where they can go and when they need to be home (make sure they have reflective material on and a flashlight).
Make sure your child knows never to enter a stranger’s house or accept candy from them, to avoid areas with dim lighting, and to avoid eating treats until you inspect them.
Do not take rides from strangers.
Do not split up from your group.
For drivers:

Never get behind the wheel of a car after drinking.
Keep an eye out for trick-or-treaters on roadways, medians, sidewalks, and curbs.
Practice caution when entering and exiting driveways and alleys and when taking turns.
Yield to pedestrians.
Drive through neighborhoods slowly if there are many trick-or-treaters out.
Always keep your headlights on.
Keep your radio on a low enough volume so you can hear around you.
Always remember to use your signals.
Avoid distractions like texting and eating when driving.
Contact an Oklahoma Personal Injury Attorney
Halloween is a time for costumes, candy, and fun. Everyone from young children to adults looks forward to this holiday! For some, it is their favorite holiday. While this day is usually full of excitement, it also comes with inherent risks.

Halloween is a busy holiday. The streets are full of drivers and pedestrians alike. With the roads and sidewalks full, people make mistakes, and accidents happen. Often, people are just negligent and fail to practice any caution or care, leading to personal injury and even death. If you suffered an injury in a Halloween accident, give the Oklahoma personal injury law firm at AMA Law a call today.