St. Louis Injury Lawyer Blog

Your risk of an accident in St. Louis may be the scariest thing about Halloween.

St. Louis pedestrian accidents, slip and fall accidents and dog attacks are just a few of the premise liability claims that plague the week of Halloween.

And your odds don't get any better out on the road; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that Halloween is among the most dangerous weeks on the road, claiming an average of more than 500 lives each year over the past decade. Drunk driving was blamed for more than half of the 5,000 traffic deaths.

Nationwide, law enforcement will be conducting an "Over the Limit. Under Arrest" campaign to crackdown on drivers who climb behind the wheel after having too much to drink.

But children are frequently injured in many other types of accidents during Halloween. In fact, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports that Halloween is among the busiest holidays in the nation's emergency rooms, with patients ages 10 to 14 being the most frequently injured.

The Missouri Department of Social Services offers the following Halloween Safety Tips:

-Stay in familiar areas.

-Visit only homes with porch lights on.

-Avoid costumes that make walking or seeing difficult.

-Carry a working flashlight.

-Wear costumes that are easily visible after dark -- consider using reflective tape.

-Never leave children without adult supervision.

-Keep away from candles or open flames.

-Never go into a stranger's home.

-Do not eat candy until it has been checked by an adult.

Continue reading "St. Louis slip and fall, dog bite, premise liability concerns come with Halloween" »

No one was injured when part of a building collapsed onto a sidewalk over the weekend, News Channel 4 reported.

The St. Louis sidewalk accident occurred about 6 p.m. Saturday at Michigan and Itaska in south St. Louis when part of a building's facade crashed onto the sidewalk. Some children were playing nearby but were not hurt. A man who lives in the building said he had been trying to get the facade torn down.

Property owners have an obligation to provide safe and secure passage for customers, guests and passing pedestrians. Sidewalk accidents involving falling debris are more common around construction sites, or in places where scaffolding has been erected for painting, building maintenance or other improvements.

St. Louis slip and fall accidents are a more common type of sidewalk accidents, which frequently occur when a property or business owner fails to properly maintain walkways or keep them free of ice, snow or other debris.

Falls are particularly dangerous for older adults; more than 1 in 3 adults over the age of 65 will suffer a fall this year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, falls are the leading cause of injury death among older Americans.

Each year, more than 15,000 seniors are killed in falls and nearly 2 million are treated for fall-related injuries in hospital emergency rooms.

The most common types of fall injuries include hip fractures and injuries to the spine, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm and hand. Fall injuries are the most common cause of Traumatic Brain Injury, which accounts for almost half of all fall-related deaths in older adults.

Continue reading "St. Louis sidewalk accidents a common cause of fall injuries" »