Thanksgiving weekend 2021, MedStar crews responded to 229 car crashes on area roadways, including 20 rollovers and 11 auto pedestrian crashes. We also responded to 103 chest pain calls, 146 calls for fall victims, and 12 choking calls.
Thanksgiving is a time for family, fun and food. We’d also like to help make sure the holiday is SAFE. Here are a few 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!
