We are days into June and, for all intents and purposes, summer is here. We all get excited to spend time outside, take in the blue skies, breathe in the fresh air, and enjoy the sunshine. While summer is supposed to be enjoyable, it also presents the opportunity for a variety of injuries. The personal injury attorneys at Fellerman & Ciarimboli have compiled a list of common injuries to watch out for and how they can be easily avoided.
Heat-Related Illness
During the summer, the extremely hot weather tends to fill hospital emergency rooms with people suffering from heat dehydration and exhaustion. Heat-related illnesses occur when the body reaches temperatures of 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, and 30 minutes of elevated body temperatures can cause cell damage.
According to a report from the National Safety Council, 244 people died in the U.S. from exposure to excessive heat in 2014. Those most at risk include infants, young children, elderly people, athletes, individuals who have heart or circulatory problems, and people who work outside.
To prevent a heat-related illness from happening to you, make sure to drink plenty of water, take breaks in shaded areas, eat well, and get the recommended amount of sleep.
Swimming Injuries & Drowning
Nothing says summer like taking a dive into a pool or another body of water to cool off on a hot day. Unfortunately, swimming can lead to a variety of injury risks such as drowning. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings occurred between 2005 to 2014. That’s about ten fatalities per day.
Drowning is the second most common cause of death by unintentional injury among children between ages one and four. Most of these incidents happen in a swimming pool.
To avoid swimming injuries and drowning incidents, you should limit how much alcohol you drink, wear a life jacket or different safety device if your swimming skills are underdeveloped, and never leave children unsupervised.
Grilling Accidents
Who doesn’t enjoy a grilled burger or hot dog during the summertime? It’s a seasonal staple. However, grills are one of the leading causes of injury during the summer. From 2012 to 2016, 16,600 people per year ended up in emergency rooms because of grill-related injuries; nearly half of the patients treated suffered burn injuries.
These burn injuries can occur for many reasons, including excess grease buildup, gas leaks, or someone forgetting to check on the food.
To prevent grilling burn injuries from happening, you should clean your grill regularly, make sure the gas is connected properly, and never leave your grill unattended.
Fireworks Injuries
Each summer, we celebrate our country’s birthday with fireworks exploding into the night sky. It might not be a summer-long celebration, but a few days of patriotic dynamite can leave many injured. Fireworks may lead to severe burns, missing limbs, and even death.
Fireworks were responsible for an estimated 11,000 injuries in 2016. Out of that total, an estimated 7,600 injuries occurred between June 18 and July 18; mainly due to Independence Day.
Injuries can be prevented if state and local fireworks are obeyed and alcohol consumption is limited. Make sure to have a fire extinguisher and/or a source of water nearby in case an emergency arises.
Contact PA’s Top Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one happen to suffer a personal injury this summer, contact the personal injury lawyers at Fellerman & Ciarimboli for help. We fight for the injured throughout Pennsylvania.