PHOENIX — The countdown to Halloween is on!
Next weekend trick-or-treaters will flood our streets, and with that comes an increased risk of people getting hit by cars.
What other injuries are common on Halloween night with all the spooks and scares?
12 News spoke with an expert at Banner Health to find out and the answers may surprise you.
"Holidays are always a busy time for the emergency room mostly because people are gathering and things can happen," said Melissa Luxton, an ER nurse and injury prevention coordinator at Banner University Medical Center. "My experience being an emergency room nurse is that Halloween is a busier night so we may have staff stay longer."
The most common injury on Halloween is a risk for both children and adults.
"So the most common injury on Halloween night is kids getting hit by cars unfortunately."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that Halloween is the deadliest day of the year for child pedestrians.
"We really advise parents to make sure that the kids are in reflective clothing a lot of times the costumes are dark and it's hard to see them."
She also recommended reflective tape or glow sticks.
"Glow sticks are great you can wear them around the neck like a necklace or a bracelet, anything to draw attention to them so when those drivers are coming down the street they don’t hit them."
The second most common injury on Halloween? Luxton said it's falling from running and/or uneven sidewalks.
"Falls are actually one of our top injuries that we see in our trauma centers and people don’t realize," she continued. "They think falling down is no big deal but you can actually get really hurt from a fall."
It may not be the Fourth of July, but Luxton said hospitals expect to see some firework attempts gone wrong.
"Honestly fireworks are still big during Halloween," she said. "I’ve seen it where people will light off fireworks in the backyard and if drinking is involved that can be pretty dangerous and we've seen a lot of major hand injuries from fireworks."
Luxton said you should not be under the influence while using fireworks.
The CDC also giving safety recommendations for Halloween night when it comes to COVID-19.
"The CDC has advised that trick-or-treaters can return going door-to-door but they do recommend it's outside and to avoid crowds."
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