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Halloween personal injury claims are more common than you think! Now, as a personal injury lawyer, it is very likely that you are going to get some strange cases. People get hurt in mysterious ways. But did you know that Halloween is actually the holiday where you are most likely to get hurt? This is because you’re roaming around for trick or treating, and you’re also going to parties in uncomfortable costumes. It’s not a surprise that lawyers sometimes have to deal with some strange events during their careers.

Whilst things may be a little different this year thanks to Covid-19, people can still celebrate the spookiest season in their own way. It’s important to take are to avoid personal injuries during this holiday, but if you do end up getting hurt, remember that Gowing Law Solicitors are here to help you with your claim. Use our claims checker to get started!

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A Quick Word of Warning: Covid-19 & Halloween

It’s so important this year that people take precautions for this Halloween. We would like to stress that with Covid-19 facing a potential second wave, it’s more essential than ever that we take precautions in order to protect our families and loved ones. You should avoid going out trick or treating and instead try and focus on enjoying the spooky season with fun and games inside your house. Gowing Law is hosting a costume competition to get our clients into the spooky spirit. However, we have some additional pointers to help you understand what you should be doing on Halloween night.

As you can see, the best thing you can do this Halloween is to actually stay inside and try and indulge in Halloween through a small party for you and your household, a movie or perhaps a creative evening of entertainment for yourselves. Whilst you may feel the urge to try and go out to a party, or perhaps go trick or treating with your kids, it just isn’t safe to do so right now. The responsible thing is to honestly plan your own entertainment and repurpose all of your activities to your home. That way you can avoid catching Covid-19.

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Pumpkin-Based Injuries & Halloween Personal Injury Claims

Did you know that in the USA over 3,000 people were injured through pumpkin carving annually? If you think that number is big, just imagine how many people must get hurt in the UK through similar activities. It actually means that overall, in the USA the amount of people who get hurt through pumpkin-based personal injuries is higher than the amount of people who get hurt at fun fairs!

There are many ways that you could get hurt whilst carving a pumpkin. Most obviously you could slice your hands whilst using a knife. However, there is also the potential to make personal injury claims from just lighting a candle inside of the pumpkin. There is a chance that lighting up a pumpkin could result in burns from being dropped or from setting the pumpkin alight! There has even been a case-study where a pumpkin ended up exploding and turning into a ball of fire!

If you are still interested in indulging in some pumpkin carving, make sure to follow these safety instructions:

Halloween Personal Injury Claims & pumpkin carving safety infographic

Of course, we don’t want to put you off carving a pumpkin! Just make sure that you keep safe whilst doing it. If you do end up getting hurt then don’t worry, you could potentially have a personal injury claim if you can prove that there was some form of negligence involved whilst you carved the pumpkin. Stranger things have been claimed for!

Haunted Houses: The Customers & Halloween Personal Injury Claims

When we think about Haunted House, we think about people dressing up to give people a good spook when they enter a scary house. That’s what Gracie Gail Durmon thought when she was walking through a spooky corn maze and saw someone dressed up as Jason Voorhees with a chainsaw. Giving her a scare, Durmon decided to try and run but ended up slipping and falling onto the ground. She actually ended up trying to sue the maze owners for negligence. However, as it was obvious the maze would have muddy conditions, and Durmon knew she was going to be scared going into the maze, she did not win the case.

People do end up getting hurt when they enter a haunted house because of the dark conditions and props that are sticking out in strange places. It’s possible that you may end up experiencing a slip or trip whilst you are in there. Unfortunately, if you have signed a waver or contract acknowledging that you are going to be scared when you enter the premises, it is very unlikely that you will have successful personal injury claims. Unless one of the workers outright attacks you and tries to hurt you, you will not be able to prove that you were hurt due to someone else’s negligence.

Haunted Houses: The Workers

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Whilst it might be quite difficult to make personal injury claims if you are a visitor to some form of haunted house or event, if you are a worker, it is very possible that you may end up getting hurt due to violent clients. Now, it is well-known that you are not supposed to touch the actors in a haunted house, as they will not touch you. However, that doesn’t stop aggressive visitors from lashing out in fear and hurting the actors that try to scare them. Workers may also experience repetitive stress injuries to their arms or hurt their vocal chords from all the screaming.

Larry Pit, a personal injury lawyer, has noted that:

“Haunted house workers are often attacked, causing them to suffer physical injuries, such as bites and broken noses.”

Some of the most injuries that a Halloween scare worker may experience include:

  • Broken Noses
  • Bites
  • Fire burns
  • Taser burns
  • Fractured bones
  • Bleeding

Workers may also suffer from slipping over props due to the darkness of the rooms and tripping hazards that have been randomly placed around the room. If you do get hurt as a scare worker on Halloween night, you can make a work accident claim. Make sure to tell your manager what has happened so it can be noted down in the work accident book. You should then get medical assistance as quickly as possible. You should next consider trying to gather evidence. Your evidence can include photographs, CCTV video footage, witness statements, medical records and financial receipts.

Halloween personal injuries claim for scare actors

Hayrides and Personal Injury Claims

In the countryside, you may find that there is a bit of a romantic tradition where people try to sit in a hay wagon for a ride around the village. Some people may bring up drinks or go for a trip with their partner. Whilst there could be a potential traffic accident with pedestrians or other vehicles, there have also been a few people who have actually been hurt by snakes or insects that could be nestled within the hay. 22 people have even reported being crushed slightly by a hay bale that has fallen over.

Whilst accidents and personal injury claims may happen with hayrides, the reason why you may find it unusual is because they happen more in the US or the countryside. So, if you live in the city, you may not have actually heard about these little rides. Make sure that the ride has insurance before you book your ride around the village.

Halloween night traffic accident claims

Decoration Arguments

You would be surprised about how many neighbours tend to get angry with each other for the type of decorations that they put out! Some people like going a little more extreme than others. They may go out and entirely decorate their lawn, whilst other people may decide on a simple pumpkin and some cobwebs around the patio.

Whilst this may not be a personal injury claim, it is a fun legal story! For one pair of warring neighbors, the Purtells were rather upset that their neighbours had ended up asking for an RV to be removed from their driveway. That was why they decided to passive-aggressively state their frustration through their decorations. They put some gravestones out that stated:

“Here Lies Jimmy, the Olde Towne idiot, mean as sin even without his gin, no longer does he wear that stupid old grin . . . Oh no, not where they’ve sent him! -1690-“

This started a war between the two neighbours after the police were called and forced them to take it down. They then decided to try and sue the police for taking down their gravestones. Whilst it was quite a complicated story, it is still quite funny to hear about them.

Keep in mind that you could end up having a personal injury due to the decorations that have been put out from your neighbours. You could slip, trip or end up getting hurt if you try to move them out the way. They may also be heavy and could fall on you. Keep this in mind before you go out to enjoy Halloween!

hanging pranks for Halloween warning

Common Costume Causalities & Halloween Personal Injury Claims

Apart from pumpkin-related injuries, costume injuries are extremely common. Think about it, you’re wearing tight-fitting costume that you will be moving around in constantly. This means that uneven walkways and long grassy areas are about to become your worst nightmare. Oversized costumes can make it more likely that you’re going to trip and fall over. This can cause some severe injuries.

However, injuries can happen due to the costumes and make up themselves. Whilst contacts and glittery make up can be fun to put on, however it can cause allergic reactions or may even be toxic! In some cases, there may even need to be a trip to the hospital in order to deal with any damaged or burned skin. Make sure to always do a patch test before you put makeup on yourself or on your children. You should also make sure to clean it off entirely before you go to bed to ensure that nothing goes into your eyes while you are asleep.

How do I keep safe on Halloween?

Although you should be planning your own socially distanced activities to enjoy Halloween, hopefully next year Halloween should be back to normal. So, if you go out next year, you should make sure to keep safe whilst you do it. Make sure to plan the trick or treating route in advance before you go out and wear a sensible costume. That way you can keep safe walking around and will not fall over. You should also only visit houses that have their lights on or decorations outside. That way you can know that they definitely want to take part in the season. You should also only trick or treat around well-lit areas. That way you can make sure that the area is safe.

Halloween Personal Injury Claims: Let Gowing Law help you!

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Whilst you may be a bit nervous about Halloween Personal Injury Claims, as you may think it sounds a little silly, honestly, if you got hurt due to someone else’s negligence, you should make a claim about it! Gowing Law is here to help you get the compensation that you deserve. We can offer you free advice and consultations to get started. If you are happy to move forward with your claim, we work on a “no win-no fee” basis. That way we will make sure that you always end up on top. You will never have to pay any hidden fees.

Call 0800 041 8350, email info@gowinglaw.co.uk or use our claims checker. You can also use our live chat in order to speak directly to our helpful team.

Read more about legal claims in our blog

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If you have been hurt due to someone else’s negligence, you deserve to be compensated for your losses. Our blog has a wide range of articles. They are great for teaching you about the basics of legal claims. We update it every week with new content, so keep checking back to see what new content we have created. You can also send in your own suggestions if you want to see specific blogs to answer your questions. Email us at info@gowinglaw.co.uk.

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Happy Halloween!

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