Staying safe this holiday season in Washington, D.C. and Maryland should be at the top of your mind. With the stream of holidays over the coming weeks and months, there will be plenty of opportunity for spending time with family and friends. Unfortunately, not everyone makes the best decisions about the safety of themselves and others. While Gelb & Gelb wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday, we hope you will mind the safety tips included on this page.
Driving Safety
During the holidays, families get together to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, and anything else important to them. While these families gather and have a great time, they sometimes give too little thought to planning a safe way home. We encourage families to get together and enjoy each other’s company in a festive manner. However, foresight matters so everyone can stay safe this holiday season. The number of drunk driving accidents is unfortunately far too high on holiday nights. This is especially true on holidays that involve a large meal to close out the evening.
When getting in your car, be sure you have not been drinking during the day. Even if you have not had a drink for a couple of hours, an earlier drink may leave you more tired than you realize. While this holds true on any day, a holiday is a particularly unfortunate day to have an accident, especially with your family in the vehicle. Stay alert and watch out for others who share the road with you, so everyone can reach their destination safely.
Staying Safe While Shopping This Holiday Season
While some dangers are more or less out of your control, there are still things you can do to stay safe this holiday season. During the holiday season, employees at stores may be pushed to their limits. They may not inspect for obvious dangers the way they should. While the employees are unlikely to cause the hazards, the surge in shoppers can overwhelm staff struggling to keep a safe shopping environment. As a result, you may find an excess of slippery floors in shopping malls or other stores.
Slip and fall cases and premises liability cases are among the most common types of cases we handle. We also hear a lot about violence in public spaces. As patrons, we must stay aware of our surroundings and remain vigilant.
Dangers to Look out for While Shopping
Below is a list of the most common dangers you may encounter when shopping for your family around the holiday season.
- Slip and fall accidents
- Theft
- Vandalism
- Assault and battery
- Pickpocketing
- Scams
Tips to Staying Safe This Holiday Season While Shopping
While some things are out of your hands, there is a long list of things you can do to improve your odds of staying safe this holiday season while shopping. The first tip is to be mindful of your surroundings. Even if you follow everything else we list in this section, it will not help if you are unaware of your surroundings and do not know when to act. Next, we suggest that you shop with a friend or family member. A person shopping alone is an easier target for someone with bad intentions. This simple tip can cross you off a list of potential victims.
Before you even get into the mall or store, be careful in the parking lot. If you can, park your car in a well-lit area. Lock your car as soon as you get in. This can go a long way toward staying safe this holiday season. Many violent crimes occur in parking lots. As personal injury lawyers, we also need someone to hold legally liable for your injuries. While a motor vehicle such as a car, motorcycle, or truck is easy to track with tags, it may be harder to track a person without a name. For these reasons, stay diligent when shopping around the holidays.
Stay Safe on a Night Out
We have a wealth of experience handling nightclub injury cases in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. Because we handle this type of case so frequently, we have put together a list of nightclub safety tips that we hope will keep people safe in D.C. and Maryland. A night out with friends or family during the holidays, especially around Thanksgiving, can be a special time. Many people travel home to be with family, and this gives old friends a chance to reconnect. While this can be exciting, it can also lead to bad decisions.
Steps to Take if You are Hurt
If you get injured while on a night out, you need to seek immediate medical attention. Once you address that, speak with police. They will help you by filling out a police report. This can log contact and witness information and organize notes on statements made the night of the accident. Then, speak immediately with a qualified nightclub injury attorney who will assist you with your case. Whether at a nightclub or a neighborhood bar, stay vigilant and report any danger to security or the police, so you and those around you can stay safe this holiday season.
Staying Safe This Holiday Season While Decorating Your Home
Around the holidays, many of us like to decorate our homes. While decorating appears safe and festive on its face, it can also present dangers. Our first tip is to use ladders safely while hanging Christmas lights. While lights on your home can create a beautiful display for neighbors, setting them up can be dangerous. This is unlikely to lead to a cause of action in tort, since the negligence usually comes from the person injuring himself, but it is still important to climb carefully. That means making sure the ladder is safely planted in the ground. If you can, ask someone to hold the ladder steady. This will help you stay safe this holiday season.
Another tip for hanging lights on your house during the holidays is to avoid overloading your outlets. This is a frequent cause of residential electrical fires. Overloaded outlets can carry too much electricity, which produces too much heat. The heat causes wear and tear on the wires in your home. So even if you have used the exact same lights in years past, your wiring may still be at risk. The U.S. Fire Administration offers helpful guidance on preventing home fires during the holidays. Be careful, too, when lighting candles in your home. A candle near a curtain, or one that a child could knock over, is a real risk you face during the holidays.
Contact a Washington, D.C. Personal Injury Lawyer
If you have any questions regarding the information above, please contact our office today for a free consultation. Have a happy and safe holiday season.
