Best in Show or Halloween Hazard?
Costume Safety Tips for Kids
For many kids, picking out a costume is the best part of Halloween. Will they be a spooky witch, a wildcat, or
The same goes when you’re buying fabric for homemade costumes. And remember, fire-resistant is not the same as fireproof. While fire-resistant material takes longer to burn and can be put out quickly, it can still catch fire and cause serious injuries. Remind your child to use caution around open flames and avoid costumes with flimsy, hanging components, like flowing sleeves, long skirts, and capes. TEST MAKEUP FIRST. Halloween is a great time to have fun with face paint, and makeup is a good alternative to masks, which can obscure a child’s vision. However, a lot of costume makeup isn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Before letting your child cover their face in makeup from the Halloween store, test their skin for allergic reactions by putting just a little bit on the back of their hand first. PRACTICE PROP SAFETY. What’s a Jedi Knight without her lightsaber or a wizard without his magic wand? The right accessories can really bring a costume together, but it’s important that props — especially weapon props, like swords, knives, or guns — are not mistaken for the real thing. Choose props that are obviously fake, with round edges made from soft, flexible material. And if your child wants to wear their Halloween costume to school or some other event, check the rules on props beforehand to avoid any trouble.
their favorite superhero? There are so many options! But in all the fun, it can be easy for parents to overlook certain risks that
Halloween costumes can pose. Here are important safety tips to remember when choosing the best Halloween costume.
LOOK FOR FIRE-RESISTANT COSTUMES. Candles inside jack-o’-lanterns and other open flames are everywhere on Halloween night, so make sure your child’s costume isn’t a fire hazard. Most store-bought costumes are made from fire-resistant materials, but you should still check the labels on all costumes, wigs, and accessories.
Halloween is a night for ghosts and goblins to come out to play, and with these tips, your kids can safely dress up and join in the fun.
Normally, we use this space to share a story of the good people we work with on a daily basis. This month, in the spirit of Halloween, we wanted to shine a light on one of the bad guys. For most people, the thought of fleeing the scene after an accident is unconscionable. The assailant you’ll find interviewed below, who asked that we protect their anonymity, is most certainly not one of those people. Here’s an inside look into the mind of somebody who hits and runs. WHAT MADE YOU FLEE THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT? Look, it’s not like I planned this stuff out. Nobody gets in a car to hurt somebody they don’t know. It’s mostly, I think, the result of panic. I’m in an accident, I don’t want to have to deal with the cops, and my car is still running. All of that adds up to me deciding to get the heck out of dodge.
problems to deal with, so why should I spend time worrying about somebody else’s?
Again, I’m no criminal mastermind, but I am smart enough to know who’s at fault in that accident: me. The only way to avoid taking a big financial hit is to hope nobody finds me. WHAT IF SOMEBODY WAS HURT? I’d love to tell you that if I had even the slightest inkling somebody was injured that I would remain on the scene. That’s probably not true, though. The fact of the matter is that I’m not thinking about the other party while fleeing; I’m thinking about myself.
HOW CAN PEOPLE PREVENT THIS HAPPENING TO THEM?
‘Interview’ With an Unknown Assailant WhyPeople HitandRun
Well, you can’t stop somebody from driving off after an accident. What you can do is be a careful driver and minimize your risk of being in a wreck in the first place. And if you see the other driver taking off after impact, do whatever you can to get their plate number.
BUT WHY NOT CALL THE POLICE AFTERWARD?
The simple answer is because I’ve gotten away with it. Every day that passes after a hit-and-run, you think about it less and less. I’ve got my own
2 The Law Office of James R. Snell Jr., LLC | P: 803-753-1476
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