halloween safety

Fashion contact lenses, which can be a cheap and fun way to jazz up a costume or your everyday look, can also cost you a pretty penny when it comes to medical expenses, according to recent news sources.

Before you buy decorative lenses to change your look, this Halloween or otherwise, consider these warnings from the Food and Drug Administration:

-Contact lenses are not cosmetics and cannot be purchased over the counter, regardless of whether or not they correct vision. Places that sell them as such are breaking the law.

-Poorly fit contact lenses can seriously damage your eyes. An eye doctor should measure your eyes to determine a good fit for you. Side effects of a poorly fit contact lense include corneal infection, cornea scratches, pink eye, and even blindness.

You should also make sure to clean your decorative lenses as you would corrective lenses.

The FDA warns against buying lenses from the following places:

• street vendors
• salons or beauty supply stores
• boutiques
• flea markets
• novelty stores
• Halloween stores
• record or video stores
• convenience stores
• beach shops

As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I hope that you will heed these warnings from health professionals. Cosmetic products not approved by the FDA can be dangerous and life-threatening. If you or someone you care about has been injured by a cosmetic product, contact a product defect lawyer as soon as possible.

Halloween, while usually a fun time for kids and adults alike, can sometimes turn tragic when accidents occur. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, kids under 14 are four times more likely to be killed as walking pedestrians on Halloween than on any other day of the year.

The safety hazards that Halloween brings about are burns, falls, drunk driving, jaywalking, and pedestrian/car collisions.

Parents can help keep their children safe by following these tips, provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

· Supervise trick-or-treating for children under age 12.
· Establish a curfew for older children.
· Prepare homes for trick-or-treaters by clearing porches, lawns, and sidewalks and by placing jack-o-lanterns away from doorways and landings.
· Avoid giving choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys as treats to young children.
· Inspect all candy for safety before children eat it. Although the risk that your child’s Halloween candy has been tampered with is extremely low, there is also the chance that his or her candy is unwrapped or spoiled.
· Parents and adults should ensure the safety of pedestrian trick-or-treaters.
· Make sure children under age 10 are supervised as they cross the street.
· Watch for children in the street and on medians.
· Exit driveways and alleyways carefully.
· Have children get out of cars on the curb side, not on the traffic side.
· Drive slowly.
· Avoid distractions while driving.
· Do not drink and drive.

Kids can do their part in keeping safe by being aware of these tips:

· Carry a cell phone if unaccompanied and know how to reach a parent and how to call 911 in an emergency.
· Wear clothing that is bright, reflective, and flame retardant.
· Consider using face paint instead of masks. (Masks can obstruct vision.)
· Avoid wearing hats that will slide over eyes.
· Avoid wearing long, baggy, or loose costumes or oversized shoes to prevent tripping.
· Use costume knives and swords that are flexible, not rigid or sharp.
· Cross streets at the corner, use crosswalks (where they exist), and do not cross between parked cars.
· Stop at all corners and stay together in a group before crossing.
· Remember to look left, right, and left again before crossing the street.
· Bring treats home before eating them so parents can inspect them.

As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I hope this month’s holiday is safe and fun for everyone. Make sure to visit the blog of our Los Angeles personal injury attorney often so that you stay informed about dangerous products and tips to keep your family safe.

Halloween is not just for kids; it’s for pets too! Many pet owners celebrate the holiday with their adorable fluffy friends, and many towns hold annual pet costume contests. This Halloween, make sure your pet is safe by keeping these safety tips in mind.

Keep the candy bowl out of reach of your pet. Chocolate is very dangerous for both dogs and cats. Artificial sweeteners can also be dangerous for animals. If your dog or cat does get into the treat bowl, call your vet or the Animal Poison Control Center.

Decorative plants like pumpkins, gourds, and corn may upset the stomach of your pet if they gnaw on them. Please monitor them or keep them out of reach.

Decorative lights wires should also be kept in an area that your pet cannot reach, as chewing on these can lead to cuts, burns, and electric shock.

If you carve a pumpkin and put a lit candle inside, make sure that it’s not in an area where it could be knocked over by a pet, potentially causing a fire.

If your dog or cat does not like costumes and seems to be under stress in one, it’s advised that you take it off of them. If you do decide to dress up your pet, make sure the costume doesn’t restrict the animal’s ability to breathe, see, or hear. Also ensure that the costume doesn’t have any dangling pieces your pet could choke on.

If your pet is not social or finds strangers to be stressful, keep them in a separate room while the trick-or-treating is going on.

As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I hope  that everyone has a fun and safe Halloween. Make sure to visit the blog of our product liability lawyer often in order to learn about new safety tips and other dangers that may put your family and loved ones at risk.

As Halloween approaches, the emergency room physicians see a significant increase in culinary knife accidents resulting from pumpkin carving, according to recent news sources.

“The most common accidents associated with pumpkin carving are stab wounds to the fingers and palm,” said a New York hand surgeon. It’s often the index finger that’s punctured, causing damage to tendons, nerves, or arteries.

Due to their slippery and tough nature, pumpkin carving can pose a real danger to carvers. In order to avoid a gash this holiday, follow these tips:

-Specialty tools can help you cut a pumpkin better than a kitchen knife and they’re also not as sharp, resulting in less serious injuries. They also have better control, which makes for a better looking pumpkin!

-Medical professionals recommend that you carve the face of the pumpkin before cutting a hole in the top, so you don’t stick your hand inside, which could lead to a cut.

-Don’t allow your children to carve pumpkins. A study published in a pediatric journal reported that the most accidents that occur during Halloween are to kids ages 10 to 14. Instead of carving, let them help out with a marker by drawing the pattern.

As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I hope that these tips help you and your family enjoy a safe and fun holiday. In my experience as a product defect lawyer, I know that preventing accidents can help you and your family avoid suffering and tragedy down the road.

Halloween is a fun time for both children and adults, as the living dead, movie characters, and reality TV stars inspire imaginations and costumes. Adhere to these safety tips in order to ensure your child has a safe and fun Halloween, regardless of what they dress up as.

Safe costume tips:

• If you’re purchasing a costume from a store, look for costumes that are labeled “flame resistant.” Many store-bought costumes are made of nylon, which is very flammable.
• In the same sense of caution, avoid baggy or billowy costume that could brush against a candle or jack-o-lantern and catch flame.
• Make sure to buy FDA approved makeup or face paint. Many cheap kits are not approved and can cause allergic reactions. Their toxins are also unhealthy for your child.
• Avoid decorative contact lenses as they can cause severe eye infections.
• Make sure your child’s costume is an appropriate length that won’t trip them. Avoid accessories that have sharp edges that could injure your child or someone else.
• Be wary of masks that could potentially block your child’s vision.

As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I hope that you and your child have a fun and safe Halloween. In my experience as a personal injury lawyer, these tips can prevent accidents and injuries.

Accidents can be traumatizing to children, not only physically, but also mentally. Any time an accident happens, it is a horrible experience for you and your child. Holidays like Halloween, while full of fun, often offer many circumstances that can be dangerous to a child.

The following safety tips will help prevent an accident on this holiday:

-Use flashlights. Make sure every individual has a personal flash light. These can illuminate darkness and also help drivers notice your child. Reflective tape is also recommended.

-If you have steps leading up to your house, make sure they are noticeable to trick or treaters. Use jack-o-lanterns to light the way. If you’re having an event like a yard haunt, you may want to check with insurers to make sure you’re covered in the event of an accident.

-Make sure costumes are flame retardant. Most costumes in stores are made of nylon, which is highly flammable.

-Coordinate a time that your kids must be home if they are trick or treating without an adult chaperone.

As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I hope that you and your children will stay safe when Halloween comes around this year. In my experience as a personal injury attorney, I know that prevention tips like these are important when it comes to the safety of children.