Burns, Falls & Black Friday Brawls

Thanksgiving is meant to be a warm, relaxing holiday filled with family, food, and celebration. But it’s also one of the busiest days of the year for emergency rooms, fire departments, and insurance carriers. Between marathon cooking sessions and the chaos of Black Friday, injuries spike dramatically in Michigan (including Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb Counties) from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through the weekend.

Below are the most common Thanksgiving-related injuries—and, importantly, who may be legally responsible when holiday celebrations take a dangerous turn.

🦃 1. Kitchen Injuries: Burns, Cuts, and Cooking Disasters

Thanksgiving involves more people in the kitchen, more complicated cooking, and more rushed multitasking than almost any other holiday. Not surprisingly, kitchen injuries surge.

Common Thanksgiving Kitchen Injuries

• Oven burns

• Grease splatter burns

• Steam scalds

• Knife lacerations

• Deep fryer explosions (a major source of severe burns)

• Slip-and-falls on food or spilled liquids

Turkey fryers, especially when used outdoors on uneven surfaces or with frozen birds, cause some of the worst burn injuries we see all year.

Who Could Be Liable?

• Homeowners, if guests are injured by unsafe conditions (wet floors, tripping hazards, defective steps or railings).

• Manufacturers or retailers, when appliances or fryers malfunction (product liability).

• Landlords, if rental-unit appliances were unsafe or improperly maintained.

• Hosts, in limited cases where they created a dangerous situation and failed to warn guests.

Most Thanksgiving kitchen accidents occur inside private homes, but that doesn’t automatically eliminate the possibility of a claim—especially in cases involving defective equipment or negligent property maintenance.

🛍️ 2. Black Friday Injuries: Crowds, Falls, and Store Hazards

The day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. More people in stores means more chances for unsafe conditions.

Common Black Friday Injuries

• Trip-and-falls on merchandise or cluttered aisles

• Slips on wet floors from snow, drinks, or crowd traffic

• Falling objects from overstocked shelves

• Parking lot collisions and pedestrian impacts

• Pushing, shoving, or crowd surges at store openings

• Injuries during store-sponsored promotional events

Even with the rise of online shopping, Michigan brick-and-mortar stores still see a dramatic uptick in Thanksgiving weekend injuries.

Who Could Be Liable?

• Retail stores, for failing to clean spills, monitor crowds, or maintain safe aisles.

• Big-box corporations, for inadequate staffing, poor crowd-control planning, or unsafe merchandising.

• Shopping centers, for icy sidewalks, unlit parking lots, or unsafe traffic patterns.

• Security companies, when crowd management is handled negligently.

Stores owe customers a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe. During Black Friday, that duty becomes even more important.

❄️ 3. Early-Winter Slip-and-Falls (Snow & Ice)

Thanksgiving often marks Michigan’s first significant snow and freezing temperatures. Shoppers, guests, and travelers face increased risk of slipping on:

• Icy sidewalks

• Unsalted parking lots

• Wet store entrances

• Frozen porch steps

• Snow-covered walkways

These incidents result in fractured wrists, back injuries, hip injuries, and concussions—especially when elderly relatives are visiting for the holiday.

Who Could Be Liable?

• Homeowners hosting guests

• Commercial property owners/managers

• Retail stores and malls

• Apartment complexes and landlords

A property owner’s responsibility depends on reasonable snow/ice removal, lighting, and hazard warnings.

🚗 4. Thanksgiving Travel Crashes

Thanksgiving weekend is one of the most dangerous travel periods of the year. More cars on the road, more families rushing between gatherings, and the first winter storms combine to create high collision risk.

Who Could Be Liable?

• Negligent drivers (speeding, distracted, fatigued, intoxicated)

• Bars or restaurants, in limited dram shop cases

• Commercial drivers, if delivery vehicles or buses cause crashes

• Municipalities, rarely, for grossly negligent road maintenance

Auto cases can involve multiple layers of insurance (PIP, BI, UM/UIM), making early legal guidance crucial.

🎉 5. Holiday Party Injuries

Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day gatherings can lead to injuries involving:

• Alcohol-related falls

• Fights or altercations

• Unsafe home setups (broken railings, dim lighting, loose rugs)

• Fire hazards from candles and fireplaces

Who Could Be Liable?

• Property owners, for dangerous conditions

• Social hosts, in limited circumstances

• Product manufacturers, if heaters, candles, or decorations malfunction

While Michigan does not impose broad “social host liability” for adults, property negligence still applies.

Why Thanksgiving Injuries Lead to Complex Claims

Thanksgiving injuries often involve:

• Crowded conditions

• Icy walkways

• Hot cooking equipment

• Rushed store environments

• Defective seasonal appliances

• Out-of-state relatives unfamiliar with Michigan weather

• Corporate defendants (big-box stores) with aggressive insurers

Evidence disappears quickly—ice melts, spills dry, shelves get restocked, and holiday setups change—making early investigation critical.

Injured Over Thanksgiving Weekend? Shkreli Legal PLLC Can Help.

If you or a loved one is injured during Thanksgiving dinner, Black Friday shopping, or holiday travel, you may be entitled to compensation for:

• Medical bills

• Lost wages

• Pain and suffering

• Future care

• Property damage

Our office handles all aspects of the claim so you can focus on recovering and getting back to your family.