Most of us don’t think of Easter as a holiday when people tend to get injured, but every year numerous kids and adults are injured in festivities.
What kinds of injuries?
Well, an Oregon mom who alleges that she was pushed down and knocked to the ground at an Easter egg hunt suffered a torn meniscus and partially torn ligament in her knee along with other sprains and strains. As a result, she sued for $112,000 in damages.
The lawsuit alleges that the event was overcrowded and held on an uneven surface, which set the mom up for injury. That’s just one example, and involves an adult. Imagine how much more serious the injuries could have been if a small child was knocked around.
So, how do you keep your kids safe from injuries on Easter? Below, we detail some of the most common accidents and injuries associated with Easter festivities, and what you can do to help avoid them.
Food Poisoning
Everyone loves dyeing Easter eggs. However, hard-boiled eggs need to be kept cold if they’re going to be consumed. This means that if you use boiled eggs in your egg hunt, you’ll want to make sure they’re not out of the refrigerator for long or you might end up with a sick kid after they attempt to eat them.
Another option: set aside some eggs for eating and some eggs for the egg hunt.
Also, be sure to follow appropriate food safety precautions for other foods served at Easter festivities, cooking meat thoroughly, and keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot before they’re eaten.
Never leave food out on a buffet table for more than two hours before refrigerating or tossing the leftovers.
Food Allergies
Nearly three million Americans suffer from peanut or tree nut allergies, and many have life-threatening reactions. Other common food allergies include gluten, dairy, and shellfish.
If you’re hosting an Easter meal or Easter egg hunt, make sure to check with your guests ahead of time about their food allergies. To stay on the safe side, we recommend against placing candies that contain nuts inside plastic Easter eggs.
This could unintentionally make a child very sick – or worse.
If your child has a food allergy and you’re attending an Easter event, speak to the host or organizers ahead of time, and come prepared with an EpiPen and other treatments just in case your child has an allergic reaction.
Slip and Fall Injuries
As in the Oregon case we mention above, it’s common for children to rush out in excitement during an Easter egg hunt. If your child is participating in one of these events, encourage her to take it slow, and make sure she’s wearing shoes with good traction to prevent slips and falls.
If you plan on hosting an Easter egg hunt, walk your property and remove potential hazards. You may also want to mark problem areas with flags to keep kids away. As the property owner, you are obligated to provide a safe place for your guests, and could be held liable for any injuries that do occur.
Defective Products
Defective toys can cause serious injuries to your child, laying the grounds for a product liability claim. Of course, the best thing is to avoid having to go through that altogether. To prevent defective product injuries, do your homework, and avoid giving toys with any history of safety hazards.
Ultimately, of course, there’s no way to completely guarantee your child’s safety. All you can really do is know the hazards ahead of time and take preventative measures to reduce the chances of your child getting hurt as much as possible.
About the Author:
Andrew Winston is a partner at the personal injury law firm of Winston Law. For over 20 years, he has successfully represented countless people in all kinds of personal injury cases, with a particular focus on child injury, legal malpractice, and premises liability. He has been recognized for excellence in the representation of injured clients by admission to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, is AV Preeminent Rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, enjoys a 10.0 rating by AVVO as a Top Personal Injury Attorney, has been selected as a Florida “SuperLawyer” from 2011-2017 – an honor reserved for the top 5% of lawyers in the state – and was voted to Florida Trend’s ”Legal Elite” and as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Florida and one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the Miami area for 2015, 2016, and 2017.
