July 4th Personal Injury Basics

Our law firm wants everybody to have a happy and safe July Fourth holiday. Swimming during the day, and then an outside barbecue, and watching fireworks after the sun goes down is a perfect holiday, especially after this past winter. It was a long one.

This year’s Fourth of July holiday makes for a three-day weekend. Here are some safety basics that everybody can follow.

Motorcycles

When driving this holiday weekend, remember that motorcycles present a low profile in traffic. With that low profile, people just don’t see them, or they don’t see them until it’s too late to avoid an accident. Take extra special care in watching for motorcycles when you’re making a left turn. That’s when most motorcycle accidents happen, and those are almost always the fault of the driver turning left. The Insurance Information Institute reports that 4,586 motorcyclists died in accidents in 2014, and 92,000 others were injured.

Swimming Pools

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 3,536 unintentional drownings occur every year in the United States. That’s about 10 per day. Drowning injuries that aren’t fatal can result in profound brain injuries and long-term disabilities including permanent loss of basic brain function. Always have at least one adult with an eye on the water at all times. Two adults provide twice the protection.

Barbecue Safety

When you’re cooking outside on a grill, you’ve created a danger for anybody around it. Be patient in waiting for any coals to get hot. Don’t try to light them a second time with more starting fluid or another flammable liquid, especially gasoline. Make sure that your grill is on flat ground, and no matter how good it smells, keep the kids away from it. Keep it at least 10 feet from the house or anything else that might catch fire. There will be plenty of holiday scraps for your dog, so keep him or her away from that grill too.

Driving

The Fourth of July holiday is one of the deadliest times of the year for car accidents. If you don’t have to drive, don’t drive. Walking is particularly safe, especially if you don’t have to cross any busy roads. If you’re going to be on the road, make sure that everybody is seat belted, even for short distances. If you’re making a road trip, make sure that your vehicle is in top operating condition. Don’t even think about drinking and driving. Holiday task forces will be out on patrol.

Fireworks

It’s highly unlikely that you or anybody with you will be injured if you attend a public fireworks display. They’re held just about everywhere. Keep fireworks away from your home. The risk of somebody getting injured is far too high. Other than some sparklers for the kids, keep them off of your property. If you’re going to allow fireworks on your property, talk to your insurance agent. You might not be covered. You know what that means if somebody gets seriously hurt.

Irresponsible people are around us each and every day. Irresponsibility can increase over any holiday, especially during the summer months if drugs or alcohol are involved. Be safe this Fourth of July holiday, but if you or somebody close to you is injured as the result of the irresponsibility of somebody else, call us as soon as possible at 888-526-2126. We can arrange for a free case consultation and case evaluation right away. People who are injured by the negligence of somebody else deserve compensation.