Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP Blog

Personal Injury: Summer Time and the Living Ain’t So Easy

It’s that time of year again, summer. The days are longer, the sun is brighter, and unfortunately the number of personal injuries is also greater. The kids are out of school and people are taking off for vacations all over the world. It seems as though this time of year for relaxing and taking a load off. However, the abundance of sunshine and time is not the only thing we should be focusing on. There are things we should be aware of in the summer months that might be more dangerous than we think. Here are some following tips to think of when you are soaking in the summer sun.

            Vacations: everyone takes the opportunity to get away from the grueling day to day work in the summer months. When going overseas we have to be very observant of different laws and regulations. Make sure you put your passports in a safe place so that there are no confusions. Alcohol is a big ticket when people are on vacation. They are there to let loose and have fun. That is fine, just be careful when getting your drink and make sure that you see the bartender pouring it. When trying out new activities such as water skiing, wakeboarding, and other thrilling activities make sure to brush up on the do’s and don’ts. Being prepared and fully aware of what is going on is crucial. Make sure that your kids are of age to participate in the activity so that it is a safe and fun adventure for everyone. Also, when on vacation don’t throw your morals out of the window. If you wouldn’t do something at home, don’t do it in a foreign place. When searching for things to do, as for the advice from the hotel staff. Most likely they will have the name of numbers of certified tourist books that will help you to choose the right and safe things to do.

            Kids: now that the kids are out of school, there is a whole world of trouble to get into. If you and your spouse are both working, look into sending the kids to a day camp. This will be a safe place for you kids to be kids, while also having the supervision of adults. Make sure that your kids have things to do, then they will be less tempted to get into different types of activities where they could get hurt. If your kids are going on a vacation on another family or relative make sure that you go over the terms and conditions with them as well as the other family. Set ground rules so that they know what they can and can’t do while on their own.

            Holidays: Memorial Day, the fourth of July, Labor Day, and all other types of holidays are a susceptible for personal injury. Fireworks are pretty much self explanatory. Don’t let kids use them without any adult supervision. Be careful when setting up bonfires, grills, and any other activity involving fire for it can get out of hand pretty quickly. Don’t use any type of plastic stemware when eating around a campfire for the plastic and toxic. If on a boat for the occasion, make sure that all the safety procedures are in place and are working.