It’s that time of year, Christmas, that dangerous time in California for drivers and pedestrians which accident attorneys and insurance adjusters know all too well. It’s Christmas. People in cars and pedestrians alike are distracted. They’re shopping, and coming from Christmas parties. Some are unfamiliar with the roads. Others forget what to do when it starts to rain.
But there are other Christmas accidents besides car accidents on the road and in store parking lots. Injuries happen in the home as well.
Car and Pedestrian Accidents While Shopping
Distracted drivers looking for parking spaces simply don’t see children and other pedestrians walking between vehicles. While backing out, too few shoppers in parking lots and on the streets take the time to wait until it’s absolutely clear before pulling out. Welcome to that time of year when America goes Christmas shopping.
Those at most risk of harm are the pedestrians. Drivers at this time of year seem to run through a proportionately greater number of stop signs, red lights and hit peopl
e in crosswalks without ever stopping than at any other time of year.
At Christmas time, if you walk across a busy shopping street in a crosswalk, you’re taking your life in your hands. Jaywalkers across the same street quite clearly have a death wish. It’s as if the drivers on the road have no idea they’re in a car that weighs a ton or more which can cause death or serious injury to anyone in their path.
Christmas also brings people out on the road who don’t regularly drive, for instance the elderly driver who may even realize they’re not as safe a driver as they used to be, but who are nonetheless willing to risk driving in order to buy a gift for a grandchild or other relative.
It isn’t just the elderly who hit the road during the holidays with special problems. Drivers of any age who have a stiff neck or a painful back and are unable to turn their head to look to see if anyone is in their blind spot are at risk of causing injury. There are drivers who haven’t had their eyes checked in a decade. Too many drivers today have to be on medication and there are others who no longer even have a current license to drive.
Although California is in a drought, there have been some rain storms recently. Who knew it could still rain in the golden state? Unfortunately, with Californians being so unfamiliar with rain, there have been hundreds of accidents across the state during this busy time of year when drivers are more distracted by holiday shopping and tend to drink more socially. The rain was needed. The accidents and injuries were not.
Other Weird Christmas Accidents
Accidents don’t simply happen on the road at this time of year. They happen in homes this time of year in California and across the country as well.
Every year, hundreds of well-intentioned people fall off ladders hanging Christmas lights and break bones in their body. That’s to be expected. But it’s the other types of holiday accidents that make you scratch your head and want to ask, really? That happens?
Unfortunately, some people are simply unlucky. These are the people who break their arms pulling holiday crackers or sustain burns while trying to flame torch their Christmas pudding or creme brulee.
Clothing can be dangerous. Just ask the people who are admitted to hospitals after being stuck by pins they failed to remove from their new shirts. Another group of accident victims routinely sustain burns trying on their new sweaters with a cigarette still in their mouths.
Hundreds of people annually cut themselves with scissors and knives opening Christmas presents that were disappointing. Children are routinely admitted to the hospital after swallowing the contents of gifts under the tree like perfume and cologne.
Over the last decade, scores have died testing batteries on their tongues. Scores of others have died watering Christmas trees that still had their lights on. Others have died eating holiday decorations that turned out not to be chocolates as they thought.
Other Dangerous Holidays for Accidents
The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the most dangerous time for students and teen drivers. This is when students are on summer vacation. They too are likely to engage in distracted driving, drinking and driving, and driving while using a cell phone.
The deadliest day of all during the summer is the Fourth of July. This day alone averages close to 150 fatalities per year. Labor Day weekend has nearly the same amount of fatalities.
Accidents and fatalities aren’t simply high between Thanksgiving and the end of the New Year’s Eve weekend. Days which celebrate special occasions such as the Super Bowl or Cinco de Mayo are also dangerous and deadly.
New Year’s Day, surprisingly is the most dangerous for pedestrians. Nearly half of all pedestrian fatalities occur on weekends throughout the year.
But it’s still the Christmas holidays that seem to always be the most dangerous to be out on the road. If you’re out there this year, be safe. It’s not just Santa and a bunch of crazy reindeer you have to look out for. It’s everything else.
If you need a personal injury lawyer from a car accident caused by a distracted driver, or an injury you received in another type of car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian accident in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, any other city within the Coachella Valley, Orange County, or anywhere north or south on the coast of California or in the desert, call Attorney Sebastian Gibson at (760) 776-1810 or toll free at (855) WHAT NOW. Put the experience of our law firm on your side and protect your rights.
