Whether you love New Year’s and the idea of a fresh start or you’re indifferent to it, there’s no denying that there are plenty of personal injury risks around the holiday. The last thing that you want is the ring in the New Year injured because of someone else’s negligence – and yet, this is an unfortunate reality for many.

Here is what you need to know about personal injury risks people face on New Year’s and what you can do if you’ve been injured as a result.

Personal Injury Risks People Face On New Year’s

While some people prefer to not acknowledge the advent of a fresh year at all while others would rather sleep through the midnight countdown or just quietly celebrate at home, many people love to ring in the New Year with a bang. And unfortunately, this can lead to accidents and injuries – not the foot you want to start the new year off on.

Drunk Drivers

The majority of auto accident deaths on NYE are caused by drunk drivers and exceed those of any other day of the year. In addition to this, people tend to drive drunker on New Year’s Eve than they do other times of the year.

There is no excuse to get behind the wheel if you have been drinking, even if you do not feel drunk. 

Pedestrian Accidents

New Year’s is one of the worst holidays for pedestrian accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more pedestrians died in traffic crashes on New Year’s than any other day. You are more likely to be killed while walking on New Year’s than any normal day, and your risk increases if you are intoxicated. 

Of course, there are other personal injury risks too, such as burns from fireworks, alcohol poisoning from drinking too much, slips and falls, and more.

Bringing Safety Into The New Year

While you cannot control what other people do, there are some things that you can do to help keep both yourself and others safe this New Year’s Eve. Some of these tips are for general safety, as well as to help prevent accidents.

• Do not drive under the influence. Have a designated driver, take a cab, use a rideshare, have someone who is sober come and pick you up, but whatever you do, do not drive if you have been drinking.
• Look out for others. If someone seems like they’ve had too much to drink, don’t let them drive themselves. Ensure that they can get a ride home safely by having someone sober drive them, whether that be one of their friends or a car service.
• Don’t walk home. If you’re drunk, you may end up swaying into the street. Plus, you don’t know what other people are doing or if they’re being responsible behind the wheel. If you have to walk outside, wear reflective clothing, make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street, and keep your distance from the road. It would be safer to have someone drive you home.
• Don’t drink too much. Even if you have a designated driver and a plan to get home safe, you mustn’t drink too much. Alcohol poisoning can occur. While it may be tempting to binge drink, especially if it seems like everyone else is, it is safer for your overall health to stick to one or two drinks. You don’t want to end up in the emergency room for drinking too much.
• Leave fireworks to the professionals. If fireworks are legal whether you live, stick to a professional show – it will be prettier and more enjoyable than running the risk of burns and fires that can result from setting off fireworks yourself.
• Watch where you pop that champagne. Eye injuries due to flying champagne corks are more common than you would think, especially on NYE. If you want to pop your champagne, make sure you do it in a space where the cork won’t fly into someone’s eye.

Dedicated Representation For Your Case

LeBaron & Jensen provides personal injury representation for all sorts of cases from tort to auto accident to pedestrian accidents and more. If you’ve been injured because of someone else’s negligence, we are here to help you receive the compensation you deserve. We charge no fee until we win your case, so you don’t need to worry about whether or not you can afford a consultation or our services.

Contact us today to learn more about our personal injury services and what we can do to help you.