New York Personal Injury Lawyer Offers Tips for a Safe Halloween

Children are readying their costumes and Jack-O-Lantern buckets for the one night a year they get to stay up past bedtime and indulge in tons of candy. Halloween is just around the corner and parents should also be preparing to take safety precautions that will help keep their little ones safe during this holiday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports fatal accidents involving pedestrians go up 4.5 times on Halloween night. The holiday is one of the top three days for pedestrian injury and deaths. Children age 15 and under are most at risk on Halloween. Here are some tips to help reduce the numbers of these senseless tragedies and make Halloween a safe and enjoyable holiday. First, parents should always accompany children on their trick-or-treat routes. Walk in groups in order to be more visible to motorists. While walking in residential neighborhoods, it’s easy to cross in the middle of the street but this can be dangerous. Statistics show many accidents happen because trick-or-treaters tend to walk in between cars or fail to use a crosswalk. It is important to always obey traffic laws, cross at intersections, and look both ways before crossing the street.
Make sure your child’s Halloween costume is easily visible to motorists. Avoid wearing dark-colored costumes. If dark clothing cannot be avoided, use reflective stickers on the costume. Have your children use glow sticks, flashlights, or other lighted or fluorescent props while trick-or-treating. If they don’t want to carry the props, tie them to their candy buckets. Any attention that can be drawn to your child will help keep them safe.
Parents should also consider taking small children to indoor Halloween activities such as trick-or-treating at a local mall or shopping center. Also, if you’re driving on Halloween night, slow down, especially in residential neighborhoods and always watch out for pedestrians.
A car accident involving a pedestrian can turn anyone’s holiday into a nightmare. Even if you follow all of these tips, sometimes accidents still occur. If you or a loved one has been injured by a negligent driver, you may be able to get compensation to cover medical bills, lost wages and benefits, and pain and suffering, among other possible damages.
The experienced New York personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm have a lengthy record of helping auto accident victims. If you or a loved has been injured in a New York transportation accident, call our offices at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit our website: www.work4youlaw.com
Source: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration