Back, neck and spine injuries are serious injuries that could leave an individual out of work for a significant period of time. In some cases, an injury may affect an individual’s ability to work for a year or even more. Those that suffer an injury of this type may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits.
With the winter holiday season in full swing, these kind of accidents are on the rise. Data compiled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission shows that injuries associated with holiday decorating had increased 25 percent from 12,000 in 2009 to 15,000 in 2012 – referencing the number of visits to an emergency department in Missouri or another state.
What do those numbers really look like? If the 15,000 from 2012 was averaged out from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, it would mean that 250 people per day were injured in some sort of accident related to holiday decorations.
We noted that these accidents occurred while homeowners were decorating for the holidays. In many cases, the injuries were suffered while people were putting up their Christmas lights, whether walking on the roof or climbing up a ladder. The large number of serious broken necks, hips and backs even prompted the CPSC to publish a guide on their website called “Ladder Safety 101.”
Another major source of injury traces back to the infamous Christmas tree; specifically, home fires in which the tree was the first item to ignite. There were 200 fires started under these circumstances from 2009 to 2011.
“We want people to put safety first this holiday season,” said Kim Dulic, a spokeswoman for the CPSC. The agency’s first suggestion: don’t get caught in a DUI situation – as in decorating under the influence.
Source: NBC, “When ‘Ho-ho’ turns to ‘Oh, no!’ Holiday decorating injuries on the rise,” JoNel Aleccia, Dec. 5, 2013
