Thanksgiving Trauma: 5 of the Strangest Turkey Day Mishaps That Ended in the ER

According to a recent study, approximately 44 to 65% of injuries treated at an ER could have been treated at an urgent care center. However, statistics like that haven’t stopped the victims of recent Thanksgiving celebrations from swinging by the ER for urgent medical needs. 

Whether you’re the one doing the cooking this year or simply joining others for the festivities, let common causes of Turkey Day injuries serve as a cautionary tale for the upcoming holiday season. 

Slippery Turkey 

Anyone who has cooked a turkey knows that they’re heavy, especially when they’re frozen. Unfortunately for some people, those frozen turkeys have slipped and fallen to the ground, breaking countless toes in the process. 

Cooking Dangers 

The dangers of turkey don’t stop at slippery frozen birds. Taking a turkey out of the oven only brings more chances for injury to occur. Fortunately, urgent care centers offer affordable care for mild to moderate burns, but you should still stock up on some aloe before you cook the bird. And, unfortunately, there won’t be much your local urgent care center can do if you burn the house down while deep frying a turkey, another all-too-common Thanksgiving disaster. 

Turkey Carving 

After you cook the turkey, someone has to carve it. Unfortunately, lacerations are quite common on Thanksgiving. All it takes is a simple slip of the hand for serious cuts to occur, which could definitely land you in the emergency room. 

Family Traditions 

Some families simply sit down and eat on Thanksgiving, but others have annual football or soccer games. While they can be fun for the whole family, they can also injure the whole family. Bruises, scrapes, and even broken bones can all occur if you’re not careful! 

Bad Food 

For obvious reasons, food poisoning happens a lot over the holidays. Too many cooks won’t just spoil the soup, they’ll also spread germs to the whole family. Not only that, but you and countless other people will all be stuffing face this season, so the chances of getting food poisoning from an under-cooked turkey or ham is a bit higher. 

No matter the urgent medical needs you might have on Thanksgiving or throughout the holiday season, it’s important to be aware of what may cause them. Stay safe this holiday season and be aware of the dangers that could be lurking in your own kitchen.