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Halloween is an exciting time of year filled with costumes, decorations, and of course, candy! However, with all the excitement, it is essential to remember that safety should be a priority. Here are some practical Halloween safety tips to ensure a fun, memorable, and safe experience for kids, families, and anyone participating in the spooky festivities.

Trick-or-Treating Safety

• Plan Your Route: Map out a route before heading out, sticking to well-lit areas and familiar neighborhoods. It is a good idea to bring a flashlight or two just in case. Avoid dark or isolated streets, and set a designated return time if you have older kids who are out trick-or-treating with their friends. It is a good idea to have a family meeting spot in case you get separated.

On Thursday, Hurricane Milton made landfall in the Atlantic Ocean after devastating Florida, where it caused more than 3 million people to lose power, generated 150 tornadoes, and resulted in at least 12 deaths.

Hurricane Milton produced up to 18 inches of rain in certain regions, with Sarasota County experiencing the worst storm surge, which measured 8 to 10 feet.

While Hurricane Milton has passed out of Florida, flood warnings remain in certain areas.

During the Labor Day holiday weekend, there are typically more impaired drivers on the roadways, so you can expect to see more police officers patrolling the streets as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ramps up its annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

The goal of the August 14–September 2 campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, is to raise public awareness of the risks and repercussions of drunk driving.

According to the NHTSA, 32% of all traffic deaths in 2022 involved a drunk driver. Over the Labor Day holiday in 2022, 490 people died in traffic accidents.

More and more people are choosing to drive drunk over the holiday season. December’s drunk driving deaths are the greatest in over 15 years, according to NHTSA data.

Drunk Driving

The most recent data year available, December 2021, showed 1,013 fatalities from drunk driving-related road crashes, the highest number since 2007. Over 4,500 people lost their lives in drunk driving-related traffic collisions in December between 2017 and 2021, according to data from the NHTSA. The tragedy of these losses is felt all year, but for many, it is intensified over the holidays.

Drug-Impaired Driving

All 50 states prohibit drug-impaired driving, just like they do drunk driving. During the years 2019–2021, the NHTSA investigated drivers who suffered life-threatening injuries or lost their lives at various trauma centers and medical examiner offices. According to the study, almost 25% of drivers at trauma clinics had detectable levels of THC, or marijuana’s active ingredient, in their bodies.

From now until Jan. 1 police are ramping up their efforts to keep impaired drivers off the roads. 204 people have died in 4,494 alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the past year in Florida, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

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Here are a few tips to make sure you and your friends and family get home safely this NYE:

• Plan for a sober ride home, and assign someone to be your point of accountability if necessary.
• If you choose to drink, do not drive while intoxicated. To get home safely, call a sober friend, use a taxi or rideshare service, or use public transportation. In some areas in Florida, AAA’s Tow 2 Go service will drop you and your car off within a 10-mile radius for free. (855) 2-TOW-2-GO is the number to call. The Tow-To-Go service is available through Tuesday, January 2.
• If you are hosting and notice someone about to drive drunk, take their keys and help them get home safely or provide them with food, water, and a place to sleep so they can sober up.

We Can Help

A DUI accident case can be complicated and time-consuming to resolve. A lawyer can assist you in obtaining crucial evidence against a drunk or drug-impaired motorist, such as chemical test results and police camera footage. After that, a lawyer can help you file a claim with the insurance provider of the impaired motorist to seek fair compensation for all losses. Continue reading

This first weekend in December is one of the most popular periods to decorate your home for the holidays, second only to Thanksgiving weekend.

Additionally, it is the time when safety specialists’ shudder at the surge in hospital emergency rooms.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that 160 decorating-related accidents occur every day throughout the holiday season.

Choosing a tree and setting up decorations inside and outside your house might be enjoyable for the whole family, but there is also an added opportunity for injuries to happen.

Every holiday season, more than 5,800 fall injuries are caused by holiday décor mishaps, according to the CDC. A little over 43% of those injuries are the result of ladder falls. According to estimates from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, each year about 18,000 Americans visit the emergency room due to injuries sustained from putting up Christmas decorations.

@jasonmeltonesquire

Be careful getting that #christmastree up at your home. Here are some #christmas safety idea to think about. Be safe and have a great holiday season. #personalinjurylawyer #tampabay #springhillflorida #gainesvillefl #miamiflorida

♬ original sound – Jason Melton FL Injury Lawyer

The leading cause of ladder-related injuries is a ladder sliding out at the base due to an incorrect setup angle.

Here are some tips for ladder safety during the holidays: 

• Use the proper ladder or step stool to reach high places. Do you simply need a step stool to change a lightbulb, or do you need an extension ladder to get on your roof to hang Christmas lights? Selecting the appropriate ladder can reduce your risk for injury.
• Longer ladders are less stable, so use them only when essential. On the other hand, most injuries occur when you reach farther than your normal reach on the ladder. Therefore, you run a higher danger of falling if you utilize a shorter ladder than necessary.
• Observe the “Three-Point Rule.” When using a ladder, make sure you always have three points of contact: two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand. To climb, grab the ladder’s rungs rather than the side rails.
• Do not stand on furniture, like desks, chairs, tables, etc.
• Due to limited stability, most ladders are not intended to support a person at the top. Instead, store your tools, decorations, and other job-related supplies on the top step or cap.
• If using a step ladder next to a doorway, make sure to lock or barricade the entrance. To ensure that no one opens the door and knocks you off the ladder, you can also post signs on the door.
• Aluminum ladders or any other metal ladder can conduct electricity. Therefore, stay away from carrying or handling live wires as they may cause electrocution if they encounter metal.
• Avoid decorating at night and abstain from alcohol both before and during the decorating process.
• Make sure that a friend, relative, or neighbor is always at the base of the ladder. They can pass objects up to you so you do not have to carry them up the ladder and assist with anchoring the ladder. In the event of an accident, they can also immediately call for assistance.

During the Christmas season, emergency rooms throughout the country are overflowing with victims of holiday decorating disasters. In the months of November and December, there are an average of 230 decor-related injuries treated by American hospitals every day. So that this season can continue to be joyous, please be cautious! Continue reading

Six people were killed in a collision with a train in Plant City on Sept. 23, and another was seriously injured and expected to survive the crash.

There is a stop sign placed at the railroad crossing where the fatal collision took place, but there is no signal light or crossing arms. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is still looking into why the motorist did not stop.

A Hillsborough County commissioner is considering installing signals and crossbars at each train intersection in the county in the wake of the fatal collision. According to Commissioner Michael Owen, whose district includes Plant City, there are 19 junctions in the county that just have a stop sign and no flashing lights or crossing arms, including the one where the accident occurred.

Owen intends to ask the board’s legal division to investigate what might be done to make those crossings safer during the next commission meeting. The board must first determine what they can do legally because the crossroads where the deadly collision happened on September 23 is located on a private road, according to Owen.

A sudden loss of family members can be devastating, making the task of seeking out a competent wrongful death lawyer much more challenging. You need an experienced wrongful death attorney who is also compassionate and not afraid to obtain the results you need and deserve.

Our Florida Injury and Wrongful Death Lawyers at Whittel & Melton want to get you the economic and non-economic damages you are entitled to, including:

• Medical bills
• Wage loss – both now and in the future
• Funeral costs
• Loss of consortium – love, companionship, mentoring, etc.
• Financial support

A knowledgeable Florida Wrongful Death Lawyer will know how to properly investigate the accident and gather the testimony and evidence required to establish the cause of death and pinpoint who is responsible. It can be difficult to think about these things when you are mourning the loss of a loved one, but it is essential to take immediate action. Our Florida Wrongful Death Lawyers at Whittel & Melton are sensitive, knowledgeable, and experienced in dealing with the legalities of defending your rights amid such a trying time.

There is no cost to you to hire one of our wrongful death attorneys because we work on a contingency fee basis. We do not get paid unless we have helped you win a settlement or verdict. Continue reading