Common Thanksgiving Personal Injury Claims

Thanksgiving Negligence-Based Accidents

Thanksgiving week is here. While you may be excited about family time and good food, you should also be careful to avoid common holiday accidents. Below, we discuss the five most common Thanksgiving accidents.

1. Food Poisoning

Thanksgiving is a food and drinks holiday, and common holiday foods like turkey, dressing, mac and cheese, and pork roast, while delicious, can cause people to get sick from food poisoning if not prepared correctly. Various food and drinks can also present a danger if the store/seller did not properly store the items before the sale or knew the items were expired before the sale.

While Thanksgiving cooks should avoid using food that smells or tastes funny, sellers also have an obligation to protect consumers from bad food. Under Georgia Code § 51-1-23, a person can pursue civil action against a person who knowingly or negligently sells “unwholesome provisions of any kind” to them if damages were caused to the person and/or their family.

2. Slip (or Trip) & Falls

Slip-and-fall accidents can occur on any type of property at any time, including grocery stores, restaurants, the homes of family and friends, malls, local businesses, and public sidewalks/places. Common causes of this type of accident include:

Spilled food or liquids
Loose flooring
Potholes
Cracks in the floor
Uneven flooring and sidewalks
Snow, ice, and rainwater
Exposed wiring and extension cords
Faulty stairs
Loose mats/rugs
Inadequate lighting
Missing handrails

3. Car Accidents

Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day have become popular holidays for binge drinking (i.e. drinking five or more drinks within two hours) and alcohol consumption in general. A 2017 study of alcohol sales showed that found that on Blackout Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve):

beer sales increased by 270%,
liquor sales increased 114%, and
food sales increased by 28%.

While driving under the influence does cause many vehicular accidents, these accidents also occur during the Thanksgiving holiday week because of drowsiness, distractions, poor weather conditions, and reckless driving practices The National Safety Council estimates that there will be about 518 motor vehicle accidents fatalities on Thanksgiving Day 2022; however, the traffic deaths may increase or decrease (but will likely fall within 452-588 fatalities).

4. Burn & Fire Accidents

Residential fires often occur on Thanksgiving (sometimes because of negligence). Safety measures that can be taken to avoid fire accidents include:

Limiting the number of people in the kitchen and around any fireplaces
Avoiding loose or flowing clothing items if you plan to cook
Making sure the handles of pots and pans face inward
Taking extra precautions if frying a turkey
Removing curtains, dish rags, and other flammables from around the stove or hot areas
Being mindful of overloading circuits or using broken extension cords
Placing candles in sturdy, low-traffic areas
Extinguishing indoor and outdoor candles/fires at the end of the night.

5. Falling Object Accidents

You can suffer injuries from a falling object while shopping for Thanksgiving items or on Black Friday. As many shoppers are out and can sometimes be aggressive or even engage in fights over products, shelves may be knocked over or into causing items to fall on you and other shoppers. Injuries can also be caused by:

Improper use of shelving equipment
Improper shelving
Loose product fixtures and pallets

Injured Because of Someone Else’s Negligence? Contact Us!

Backed by over four decades of collective experience, The Dickinson Law Firm is dedicated to helping victims/survivors of negligence fight for their right to fair compensation. If you or a loved one suffered damages in an accident, our attorneys are here and equipped to help you. We handle a variety of personal injury cases, including:

Let us help you fight for your right to fair compensation. Schedule a case consultation by calling (770) 924-8155 today.