Holiday Gifts Can Cause Brain Injuries

When you shop for holiday gifts for your children and other loved ones, you likely have zero intention of causing them harm. Instead, you likely focus on selecting gifts that will fulfill a specific request or will result in entertainment for your family. However, many toys and recreational products that make exciting gifts can also result in injury to your loved ones. One specific injury that may be common when making use of holiday gifts is a brain injury.

Brain injuries occur when the tissue of the brain suffers damage, which can result from direct trauma, severe shaking, or from oxygen deprivation. The following are some ways that holiday gifts can result in brain injuries.

-Sports and Recreational Equipment
-Many children and adults both enjoy receiving equipment for sports and other recreational activities. Such gifts may include:
-Bicycles, tricycles, and scooters
-Hoverboards
-Rollerblades
-Bats and balls

All of the above can provide hours of fun activity but they can also put you at risk of injury. Anytime you are riding any type of vehicle or skating, the potential exists for you to fall off and hit your head. The same is even truer for children who may not have the balance and coordination of adults. Hitting your head on the ground or another object can result in a brain injury even if you are wearing a helmet. Consider the hottest gift on the market for the holidays in 2015 – the hoverboard. Due to the numerous injuries suffered in early 2016, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned1 that these devices are unsafe.

Toys for Small Children

Another way a brain injury can occur is through oxygen deprivation, including from temporary suffocation and strangulation. Small children at particularly at risk for such accidents and parents should ensure that all toys given as gifts for small children are age-appropriate and do not present a choking hazard. If companies fail to properly warn of a choking hazard or do not label a toy with the necessary warnings and age recommendations, the company may be held liable for injuries that result.

Holiday Safety Tips

Fortunately, there are steps that parents can take to reduce their children’s risk of injury this holiday season. Here are a few ways to keep your loved ones safe this holiday.