Thanksgiving weekend 2020, MedStar crews responded to 250 car crashes on area roadways, including 15 rollovers and 6 auto pedestrian crashes. We also responded to 111 chest pain calls, 170 calls for fall victims, and 8 choking calls.
Thanksgiving is a time for family, fun and food. We’d also like to help make sure the holiday is SAFE. In addition to following the CDC’s COVID-19 guidelines, here are a few other safety tips as you enjoy the holiday weekend:
Safe Travels – the day before Thanksgiving is the most traveled day of the year!
- If your plans include driving, check the weather along your route and plan for travel around any storms that may be in the area you are traveling.
- Please be sure to use seat belts and, of course, no one should drink and drive.
- Drivers should be well rested and alert and give their full attention to the road – avoid distractions.
- Make frequent stops and for long trips, rotate drivers.
Safe Cooking
- Cooks should avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while preparing the holiday meal.
- Keep anything that can catch fire – potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels or curtains—away from the stove, oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.
- Use a timer as a reminder that the stove or oven is on.
- Never leave the stove unattended – if the cook has to leave the kitchen even for a short time, turn off the stove.
- Check food regularly.
- Keep children and pets away from the cooking area.
- Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in the kitchen.
- Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving the home to make sure all stoves, ovens, and small appliances are turned off.
We wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
