Holidays are meant to be a fun time, but child injury in Homestead occurs during Thanksgiving and other major holidays, leading to devastated and grieving families. To prevent this from happening to you, make sure that you:
1) Provide lots of supervision for children who will be attending your holiday events. If several children will be affected attending a holiday party in your home, consider organizing groups of adults to supervise the children in shifts. This will help ensure that each child can enjoy the party while also keeping children carefully supervised. Proper supervision can help prevent a majority of accidents.
2) Keep a close eye on food that is being prepared. Sharp knives and hot ovens chose can pose a serious burn injury risk for Homestead children. Children can also easily get food poisoning if they eat something that has not been correctly prepared yet. Children should be kept out of the kitchen and away from other food preparation areas where possible.
3) Try to avoid decorating with candles. Candlelight may provide a wonderful atmosphere for your holiday table, but it can also be quite dangerous if you have small children nearby. If there are candles on a tablecloth, for example, children can pull at the tablecloth and knock the candles over. Children can also sustain a burn injury in your Homestead home if they touch a candle or knock it over. Look for battery operated lights instead or use a dimmer switch to create a beautiful festive atmosphere.
4) Lock up pool areas, stairs, and other dangerous areas with gates or other childproof devices. Stairs can pose a hazard for small children and pool areas can lure children as well. Keep these areas safe if they cannot be supervised closely.
5) Lock away any hazardous materials or substances that could harm a child. Keep in mind that even cleaning products can be dangerous for a small child. They should be stored well out of reach of small children or should be kept under lock and key.
6) Keep the area of your celebrations small. If children are allowed to wander all over your property and into every room of the home, they are more likely to encounter dangers and more likely to slip away from the watchful eyes of adults. Consider opening just a few rooms – a living room and dining room, for example – to guests. This keeps everyone together and ensures that no child wanders off.
7) Be careful about parking arrangements. If everyone is arriving by car, create a space for the cars and ensure that children do not play nearby. Unfortunately, back over accidents in Homestead can easily happen if children are playing near cars.
Has your child been injured due to someone’s neglect or recklessness? Find out whether you have a case by contacting Flaxman Law Group for a no obligation, no cost case review. Depending on your situation, you may qualify to seek compensation that can help you pay for your child’s health care and other expenses.