Christmas Decoration Accidents Cause Thousands of ER Visits

 Posted on December 11, 2024 in Personal Injury

While it may be the season of joy and love, every year, more than 18,000 people visit emergency rooms because of accidents related to  Christmas decorations. While many of these accidents occur in homes, as people put up their annual Christmas decorations, others occur in public places. For example, more than 277 children are injured each year while visiting Santa in a mall or retail store. These injuries are from falling off Santa’s lap and tripping over decorations in the area.

Many parents and grandparents experience slip-and-fall injuries from Christmas decorations and extension cords stretched across walkways while taking children to see Santa or shopping for Christmas presents. Stores tend to be less cautious during the holidays, often taking shortcuts when decorating that puts the public at risk.   

If you have experienced a slip-and-fall injury resulting from Christmas decorations or extension cords in a mall or other public place, you may have sustained severe injuries. Speaking to an experienced Bloomingdale, IL slip-and-fall attorney from Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices can help you recover damages for your injuries.  

How Do Most Slip-and-Fall Accidents Occur?

The majority of slip-and-fall accidents in public places occur from negligence on the part of property owners who fail to maintain safe environments. The most common reasons for slip-and-fall accidents include:

• Wet, slippery floors
•  Uneven surfaces
• Poor lighting
• Obstructed pathways

Obstructed pathways can result from boxes or merchandise in the aisle or walkway or from electrical cords stretched across areas where people walk without cautionary signs to warn people to look out for the obstruction. Other common causes of slip-and-fall injuries include torn carpeting, broken or missing tiles, unmarked step-ups or step-downs, potholes, cracked sidewalks, and broken or absent handrails.

What Are the Most Common Injuries from a Slip-and-Fall Accident?

Depending on how a person falls, slip-and-fall injuries can be very serious. The most common injuries from slip-and-fall accidents include:

• Back injuries that result in chronic pain
• Bruising, bleeding, and soft tissue damage
• Ankle and wrist sprains and fractures
• Dislocated shoulders
• Broken hips (more common - and more serious - among the elderly)
• Knee injuries, including dislocations and torn ligaments
• Spinal cord damage
• Nerve damage
•  Concussions and traumatic brain injuries

Who is Liable for Slip-and-Fall Accidents in Public Places?

Slip-and-fall accidents are known as premises liability claims. The owner of the property where the fall occurs is likely liable for the resulting damages. Under premises liability laws, there are three types of visitors. Invitees are those invited (even implicitly) onto a property for a business person, including shoppers at grocery or retail stores, visitors to an office that provides a service, or those eating at a restaurant. Owners have the highest level of responsibility with invitees.

Licensees include those invited onto a property for social purposes or a purpose that is unrelated to business. The owner expressly or implicitly gives licensees permission to be on the property, but not for financial gain. Attending a neighbor’s Christmas party makes you a licensee. Trespassers have no permission to be on the property and, therefore, are owed a lesser duty of care than invitees and licensees.

What Damages Are Available to Those Injured in a Slip-and-Fall Accident?

Those suffering a slip-and-fall accident due to negligence are entitled to recover the costs of all medical expenses, current and future, lost wages, lost future wages, and pain and suffering. Medical expenses and lost wages are known as economic damages because a specific financial number accompanies these damages. Pain and suffering damages are considered non-economic because their worth is subjective. Pain can include actual physical pain as well as mental and emotional pain and trauma.

Contact a DuPage County, IL Slip-and-Fall Lawyer

If you have suffered a serious slip-and-fall accident resulting from Christmas decorations, including cords stretched across walkways with no caution signs, you are entitled to recover damages for your injuries. Speaking to a Naperville, IL slip-and-fall attorney from Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices can help ensure that you receive justice for an accident caused by negligence. Our firm has three offices for your convenience (Lombard, Bloomingdale, and Naperville) and also offers Saturday and evening appointments. Call 630-932-9100 to schedule your free consultation.