Adult Halloween Safety

Halloween should be a fun holiday of enjoying time with friends and family and not one spent in an emergency room. Parents work hard to keep their kids safe, but adults could use a reminder too.

According to Theresa Baker, Trauma Outreach Coordinator at University Hospital, one of the worst burns she's ever seen occurred at a Halloween party when a person's cotton outfit rubbed against a lit candle. Baker says costumes, alcohol and candles are a dangerous mix.

"We always want to be concerned with primarily children's safety on Halloween, but we can't forget about adults as well," said Baker. "There are so many parties going on around Halloween that we typically see more acohol-related incidents than Christmas."
 
As a result of the increased parties, there is also an increase in DUIs, car accidents and falls. The falls are attributed to alcohol and sometimes an inability to brace oneself because of an awkward costume. The number of burn occurrences also increases because of unstable candles and when loose and long costumes come in contact with candles that aren't in some type of container. 

Baker encourages people who are going to be drinking to either call a cab or to ride with a designated driver and also to practice safe candle use. Remember to keep candles away from curtains and to keep them contained in a safe and secure location.  

Release Date: 10/23/2009