Holidays like Thanksgiving should be a day for cherishing our blessings and holding loved ones dear—not for catastrophes and lawsuits. However, fires, burns, and children’s injuries always spike this time of year. According to United States fire departments, Thanksgiving is actually the peak day for home cooking fires!
Luckily, the Powell & Associates personal injury attorneys in Atlanta, GA are at the ready with tips for keeping you and yours safe during holidays like Thanksgiving. And if an accident still occurs, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
Don’t Deep-Fry the Turkey
A turkey that’s crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and quick to cook may sound tempting, but the method of deep-frying it requires creates more risks than it’s worth. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association discourages the use of gas-fueled turkey fryers because they can cause fires and devastating burns in a number of ways:
Turkey fryers tip easily, spilling hot oil everywhere.
It’s easy to overfill the fryer. When you place a turkey in an overfilled fryer, the oil splashes all over the unit, engulfing it in flames.
Hot oil will splatter if the turkey is partially frozen.
Because they lack thermostat controls, turkey fryers can easily overheat the oil and start a fire.
The pot, handles, and lid get extremely hot, resulting in severe burns when touched.
With all of these dangers in mind, you should probably stick to a traditionally cooked turkey.
Child-Proof Your Kitchen—Or Keep Kids Out
In a bustling house full of relatives, it might be difficult to keep an eye on the kids at all times. That’s why you should make sure that your kitchen presents as few hazards to them as possible. For example, turn pot handles to the side instead of facing outward so that a young child can’t grab them and dump boiling water all over themselves. Of course, you should also keep knives stored away from children. And lastly, ensure that cords from appliances including stand mixers, coffee makers, etc. aren’t dangling off the counter within easy reach of little hands.
Better yet, block the kitchen off from kids altogether by installing a couple of baby gates. No matter what, cooking will always pose a threat to children, so they should remain several feet away from the action. In addition to the stove, the steam or splash from piping hot food and liquids can result in serious burn injuries.
Follow General Fire Safety Practices
The easiest way to prevent kitchen fires is to simply pay attention to your stove and oven. Fire departments across the country report that unattended cooking is by far the leading factor in Thanksgiving cooking fires and deaths. Always stay in the kitchen while you’re using the stovetop so that you can keep an eye on the food.
And in general, but especially during the holidays, check to make sure that your smoke alarms are working. Changing the batteries in the smoke detector can be a pain, but you’ll be glad you did it if it saves you and your family from a cooking fire.
Contact the Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys at Powell & Associates
Even if you’re careful, we understand that accidents in the kitchen still happen. If you do end up in an Atlanta, GA hospital on Turkey Day, the personal injury lawyers at Powell & Associates are here to help you receive the compensation you deserve. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.