On Halloween, neighbors throughout Mankato participate by welcoming children to their door and passing out candy. There is probably no other season where a child approaches so many of their neighbors’ doors in one night. Because of this there is a much greater risk of injury caused by someone else’s property.
In Southern Minnesota, homeowners and business owners alike are responsible to each and every one of their guests to keep their property safe. Unlike business owners, homeowners do not usually have so many visitors in one night, and they may be completely unaware of hazards around their home.
Here are some tips to make sure your child is able to visit each new home and leave unscathed:
Beware the decorations. Halloween leads people to decorate their home in the most ghastly ways. The scarier, older, more dangerous a decoration appears, the more it is in line with the spirit of the season. After all, haunted houses are all the rage this time of year. Unfortunately, many Halloween decorations are there to obscure one’s vision, jump out at people, or provide for an eerie scene. Perhaps more unfortunately, Halloween decorations are made cheaply and often meant to be disposed of after one use. All of these factors help show why these sorts of decorations may not be the most safe, especially for a child’s curious hands. Make sure children understand that things like dry ice, moving skeletons, and spider webs are only for decoration and not meant to be played with.
Watch for fires. October is the perfect time of year to sit outside and enjoy a bonfire. Halloween also presents a perfect opportunity to sit outside with friends and family while watching the costumes parade by. Flames are even used in some more sophisticated Halloween decorations. The biggest problem that a flame can pose on Halloween is contact with a child’s costume. Many masks, face paints, and cloths used in creating that perfect costume are flammable. Kids also carry props and have hanging pieces attached to their clothes. Around a flame, this can be a recipe for disaster.
Mind the porches. The entryway to a neighbor’s front door can be a landmine for a small child. This is especially true if the child cannot see well due to a mask or if the pathway is not well lit. If a costume comes with plastic shoes or coverings for a normal pair of sneakers this may pose an additional risk to safe travels. A loose step or an exposed nail on a front porch can turn into a big deal for an excited child. If the ground is damp or there are wet leaves blowing around a kid can seriously injure themselves even from a simple trip. By making sure your child has the correct shoes on and has a small flashlight to watch their paths you can help make sure no surprises bring them to the ground.
If your child is injured due to the carelessness of a homeowner, contact the Mankato premises liability lawyers at the Kohlmeyer Hagen Law Office today. We are happy to help you throughout the entirety of the legal process.
