Every year people of all ages take part of the festivities that Halloween has become known for: haunted houses, scary masks and candy. What they don’t always think of are how wrong it can all go if not done safely. Halloween can be just as festive as any other holiday, but has the potential for harm as well.
Halloween has long been associated with haunted houses and pranks to scare people, but that doesn’t always end in laughs. In 2011 a young girl was chased through a Halloween themed park at Great Falls, for an event called “Fright Fest”, by a park employee dressed in costume until she fell and sustained injuries.
A prank at a Tauton High School went wrong when a student fell back and tripped, fracturing a kneecap attempting to get away from someone dressed up in a mask, who appeared to be carrying a running chainsaw. We all know how realistic costumes can appear now a days, but as costumes become more realistic and the accessories that go along with them like knives or other weapons also appear to be real trick or treaters enter dangerous territory and risk someone mistaking what may be a toy or prop for a real weapon and reacting.
An example of this is a 2009 case in which a 37-year-old man mistook a character with a chainsaw at a Haunted House for having a real weapon and pulled out his service weapon in response causing much panic.
Halloween candy itself has even been called into question over the years as various unanticipated substances have been found in it. By and large the danger of trick or treat candy tampering has not been found to occur as often as we would think and no children have been reported to have sustained serious injuries as a result of altered candy, but nonetheless it is better to be safe then sorry. There have been incidents in the past like lollipops purchased at a Dollar store that contained metal shavings and metal blades embedded in them in 2008, but that was found to be the result of a manufacturing error. Though the incidents of candy having unwanted extra ingredients are low it is important and suggested that parents inspect their children’s candy.
Be safe however you choose to celebrate this Halloween and remember that although some things seem like fun there may be hidden dangers as well. If you or a loved one is injured as a result of a Halloween related activity please call us today!
Wooten Kimbrough, P.A. Orlando Personal Injury Attorneys