Local emergency rooms brace for holiday boom

You think the mall is busy this time of year? You should see the local emergency rooms. Turns out the holiday season ’tis the season for a significant increase in accidents and injuries.

From people cutting themselves as they tackle the turkey to falling off the ladder hanging Christmas lights, holiday cheer can turn into a big bummer in the blink of an eye, says Susan Gregg, Harborview Medical Center spokesperson.

“The thing about these events is most of them are preventable,” Gregg says.

Weekend warrior syndrome seems to hit extra hard around the holidays, as families get together for spirited football games or other competitions. Unfortunately, it can all too often lead to things like knee injuries, blown Achilles tendons or other infirmities of the aging athlete.

“I mean you see the people going out and playing that flag football that don’t think, ‘Maybe I should warm up a little bit before I go out there,'” Gregg says.

Falls increase significantly this time of year. And it’s not just the elderly.

“We’re seeing an increase in the amount of people who have fallen just walking down the sidewalk to people falling off a ladder, so it’s far more common than people think,” Gregg says.

Burns are also a big problem during the holidays as cooking increases and many people stoke the fireplace. Gregg says ERs see far too many people who’ve been scalded with boiling water or who’ve touched a hot pot while they’re rushing in the kitchen.

She says the number of children burned soars this time of year.

“We see injuries that come in with kids that touch fireplace screens that are very, very hot.”

Alcohol is also a big factor in holiday season accidents. Whether it’s contributing to the fall from the ladder to drunk driving accidents or even alcohol poisoning, Gregg says far too many cases involve people who’ve over imbibed.

So what’s the message? Just use common sense.

“If people just slow down a bit, much of this can be entirely avoided,” Gregg says.