Be Wary of Dangerous Halloween Costumes

Halloween can be one of the most fun times of year! There's trick or treating, costumer parties, pumpkin carving, house decorations and lots of treats. 

Regardless of how you celebrate, make safety a priority to prevent injuries this Halloween.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to stay safe this Halloween. They want to remind parents that sometimes store-bought Halloween costumes can have design or manufacturing flaws that can cause injuries to trick-or-treaters.

Last year, there were approximately 4,500 injuries related to Halloween merrymaking. Of that total, 32 percent involved falling while trick-or-treating, putting up or taking down Halloween decorations, or stumbling over ill-fitting costumes.

The CPSC offers these tips when dressing the kids Halloween:

• Choose costumes made from brightly colored nylon or polyester that are more flame-resistant than sheer rayon and cotton.
• Don't let kids trick or treat wearing costumes that are too big or excessively baggy.
• Trim outerwear and costumes with reflective tape to ensure that Nashville motorists can see the kids as they make their trick-or-treat rounds.
• Choose makeup over masks for better vision.

If your child winds up injured due to an improperly designed or manufactured Halloween costume, you may be able to take some legal steps to hold the designer or manufacturer liable for their injuries and damages. The process begins by identifying the source of the problem.

Then, you will need to file a claim for damages against the negligent party or parties. If that effort does not resolve the matter in your favor, you may need to file a product liability lawsuit.