Summertime and Its Particular Hazards

Summertime is finally here. It’s a season of outdoor activities, although, unfortunately, along with the fun comes hazards. Remember, if you have been hurt by no fault of your own, whether by a negligent person or a defective product, seek out qualified counsel to understand your rights and to learn how you can receive compensation.

Respect the Grill

Nothing beats a hot dog or hamburger at a picnic on a nice day, but the grills on which they are cooked send 18,000 Americans to the emergency room annually. The greatest number of personal injuries come in the form of burns and blisters, some very serious.

The Consumer Product Safety Division estimated that at least six people died from injuries related to grilling in 2009. Common causes of injuries stem from loose clothing catching fire, and too much, or the wrong type of, starter fluids being used.

One repeated source of injury is traced to defective products. According to the CPSD, one-third of all injuries involving a gas grill are caused by automatic starters. Every year the CPSD issues product recalls because of faulty systems.

Watch out with Fireworks

Another hallmark of summertime fun often leads to impairment. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, almost 10,000 Americans went to the hospital with fireworks-related injuries in 2003 alone. In the same year, at least four people were killed by fireworks.

Lawn Mower Accidents

Despite the season still being in its early stages, a St. Louis hospital has performed three amputations already. Lawn mowers can be deadly machines. They are prone to tipping over.  Serious injuries often also occur when users are trapped beneath them.

Often recognized as an ordinary task, lawn mowing is source of many severe summertime injuries.  In fact, 95% of hospital visits after a lawn mowing accident involve reconstructive surgery or the reattachment of a part of the body.  Statistics published by George Mason University show that 133 people died because of lawn maintenance in 2006.

Amusement Parks’ Not So Amusing Injuries

Every year over four thousand people are hurt on amusement park rides.  Most unfortunate is that, more often than not, the injured person is a child.  At the rate of several per week, amusement park rides create injuries serious enough to warrant an emergency room trip.  Interestingly, the vast majority of this type of injury happens exclusively in the summer.  The period of May until September sees over seventy percent of injuries caused by rides, according to the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Research Institute.

Seek Out Experienced Counsel If You Have Been Harmed by Negligence

There is no call to engage your summer activities with trepidation, just the due care it deserves.  However, if you have been hurt because of someone else’s negligence, you need a competent attorney to get the compensation you deserve.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident this summer, it is the negligent person’s responsibility to pay you for the damage they have caused you.  If you or a loved one has been hurt in an accident anywhere in North Carolina or South Carolina, be sure to contact an experienced attorney so we can get to work on your case immediately.