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ER doctor shares top holiday incidents, injuries to avoid

The emergency room gets very busy on Christmas and New Year's because of so many avoidable accidents or injuries. 

While the ER sees a lot of injuries cuts from broken glass and falls from ladders or decorating -- the top one is food-related illnesses and kitchen and firework burns. 

Many patients come in with food-poisoning after foods sit out on the counter all day, and many people touch it while picking on food. 

It's highly recommended that practice safe food preparation, so wash your hands and keep things refrigerated.

Children also choke on food, candy or small toys. 

One you can't avoid -- the doctor says cardiovascular incidents are also high during these holidays.

"There's a lot of avoidable accidents, things like cardiovascular events, not so much," said Dr. Jeremy Williamson, emergency room doctor at The Hospitals of Providence. "You can't really avoid those so much as to just keep good routines and take care of yourself. But, just being diligent and responsible and avoiding trauma can go a long, long way for the holiday season."

During the holidays, people tend to over-consume alcohol, and with that, it brings more abuse, violence, falls, alcohol poisoning, and drunk-driving accidents — which increases fatalities.

The ER doctor urges people to drive responsibly after parties.

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Nicole Ardila

Nicole Ardila is a multimedia journalist.

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