Labor Day Accidents—Were You Involved?

Labor Day brings about a three-day recreational weekend for many, and this year proved to be no exception. Picnics, barbecues and celebrations commemorated the last long weekend of the summer before school starts. Final travel efforts were made for family road trips and reunions. With heightened travel, heavier traffic, and sparking up of the grill at campgrounds and picnic areas, three-day weekends pose problems of their own if safety is ignored. With all the festivities you may have encountered, there are some situations that landed others in the emergency room.

This past weekend, and any future long weekend, warrants taking special considerations in mind. We know that travel will be heavier on weekends like Labor Day and it makes sense to plan your travel routes so that you avoid the heavier traffic times of day or the routes that are most congested. Friday afternoons and Monday mornings are heavy traffic times, particular for those who cut the workday short on a Friday to arrive at a destination sooner than later. On Mondays of a long weekend, everyone waits until the last minute to take to the road. This means much more traffic than normal, at break-neck speeds in many cases. If you can, travel one day earlier and start toward home one day before the rest of the country. Remember that everyone wants to arrive at their destination just as much as you do, and practicing patience is always the best policy.

Picnics and parties mean drinking and other recreation like boating, ATV’ing, water skiing and more. Did you have alcohol at your celebration? Chances are there were some adult beverages on hand. A rule of thumb for all future celebrations is to never get behind the wheel of any vehicle if you have been drinking, and never get on board a vehicle operated by someone who has been drinking or appears intoxicated. If you are unsure whether or not the operator has been drinking, stay off the vehicle altogether.

As safe as the surroundings may be in a picnic area or campground, grilling and burn accidents account for many accidents around holidays like Labor Day. Improper tending of a grill or using a charcoal grill in windy or extreme fire conditions could mean a fire out of control that reaches your property or even worse, comes in contact with you. Staying safe around the grill means not wearing long sleeves, having a fire extinguisher handy and making sure little ones are out of the way so they don’t accidentally touch the grill or put themselves in the way of the grill master who may not be paying attention to anything except the burgers.

Americans love three-day weekends and we hope that your Labor Day holiday was without incident. If you were injured due to a car accident or neglect of another party during the Labor Day holiday, enlisting a law firm who can help you with your personal injury case will ensure you find closure and make for better holiday celebrations to come.