3 Most Common Ways to Get Injured on Halloween

Halloween always has the threat of danger from ghouls and goblins. However, the much more likely cause of Halloween injuries is cars and your own costume.

There is no other holiday quite like Halloween, where an armada of young children dressed in strange outfits march around the town at night, knocking on strangers' doors.

But because of the strangeness of Halloween, hospitals are oftentimes very busy dealing with Halloween accidents and injuries. To prepare for the upcoming holiday, Prevention 1st came up with a list of the three most common ways people get injured on Halloween:

1. Traffic Collisions. Kids in streets plus adults leaving Halloween parties is a dangerous combination. Parents should always supervise young children trick-or-treating to make sure their kids walk on the sidewalks and stop at dangerous intersections. In addition, parents should consider giving their children flashlights and reflective tape so as to make the children more visible. You should also pay attention to hats and other costume accessories that may block a child's field of vision.
   
2. Eye Injuries. If you're not careful, you may need to wear an eye patch even when it's not Halloween. Many costumes come with sharp objects like swords, canes, and sticks. Even if these are props, the objects can still contain sharp edges. Children playing with these props may use them like toys, but they can result in serious eye injuries, reports Prevention 1st.
   
3. Burn Injuries. Parents should make sure to buy fire-retardant costumes. Many costumes come with oversized sleeves, long capes, and wigs. These costumes pose a serious danger to children when they become exposed to open flames like a candle in a Jack-o-Lantern. Along with choosing the right costume, you may also want to consider replacing candles with safer sources of light.

Follow these safety tips, and you may avoid a truly frightening Halloween night -- one spent in a hospital bed.

Related Resources:

• Halloween Sex Offender Laws (FindLaw)
• Halloween Safety Tips (FindLaw)
• Halloween Laws: Keep Your Halloween Party Legal (FindLaw's Blotter)