Three ways you could end up in the hospital over Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you may be eagerly anticipating a day off of work to feast with family or close friends. The holiday is a happy, festive occasion to take stock of what you have and be grateful.

However, around the country, Thanksgiving also represents a time when emergency room visits spike. What may seem like an innocuous celebration actually carries with it a variety of safety hazards. In today’s post, we examine three core risks connected to the upcoming holiday weekend.

• Car accidents:The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the periods of highest travel all year. Increased road congested raises the likelihood of accidents. In particular, Wednesday night–known as Blackout Wednesday–sees a particularly high rate of traffic accidents. On this night, not only are many people driving home to their families, but drinking and driving is also especially common.
• Kitchen mishaps:Cooking-related injuries are more common than you might expect on Thanksgiving. Turkey fryers are a real safety concern–often leading to devastating burns and other injuries. Even without turkey fryers, the rate of kitchen fires triples on Thanksgiving compared to the rest of the year. With multiple dishes to cook simultaneously, crowds of guests and alcohol consumption, the likelihood of cooking distraction high–and fires are frequently the result.
• Frenzied shoppers:Heading to the mall the day after Thanksgiving is also a risky endeavor. Black Friday shoppers are often frantic and cut-throat–a phenomenon known as “retail rage.” Each year, angry shoppers resort to extreme measures to claim the products they’re after–including fighting, using pepper spray and even trampling.

Thanksgiving is meant to be a joyful time to break bread with those you love. Staying alert to the above risks can help keep you and your family safe over the holiday weekend.