Witches, ghosts and zombies, oh my! The spookiest time of year is just a day away, and we want to make sure you are well prepared for this year’s Halloween celebrations. In helping you avoid any bizarre injuries and potential disasters we’d like to share our unnervingly real 2015 Halloween ICD-10 guide.
Here’s a list of ten of the most frightening injuries you’ve got to watch out for during Halloween:
W26.0XXA: Accident caused by knife
Pumpkin carving. Be extra cautious when carving, unless of course a bloody pumpkin is your inclination.
W55.01XA: Cause of injury, cat bite
Black cat sighting. Superstitious or not, don’t try your luck with that sweet looking, furry feline perched on the sidewalk.
W18.00XA: Injury from fall, initial encounter
Tripping in the dark. If you intend on dressing up as a witch and flying away into the night sky, make sure you get plenty of practice prior.
A05.1: Botulism, food-borne intoxication
Consuming a poisonous apple. A message to all Snow Whites, be wary of broom-tripping witches (see below) who may offer red delicious apples.
S11.95XA: Open bite of unspecified part of the neck, initial encounter
Running into an archenemy dressed as Count Dracula. As a precaution, you may want to wear a necklace of garlic cloves. And who knows, it may soon become the newest fashion statement.
T51.91XA: Toxic effect of unspecified alcohol, accidental, initial encounter
Imbibing an excessive amount of spiked punch. Fun fact: Halloween is the third heaviest drinking day of the year, right behind Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.
S05.10XA: Contusion to the eye
Wearing decorative contact lenses. Just when you thought glow in the dark lizard lenses and blood drenched vampire eyes were scary, think again. Bacterial infections, allergic reactions, and damaged vision are terribly more frightening.
I51.9: Right ventricular systolic dysfunction
Walking past a ghost jumping out of bushes. His ghost still pays homage to the world famous Fisherman Wharf’s Bushman every once in awhile, so be wary!
S86.0: Unspecified injury of muscle, fascia and tendon of the posterior muscle group at thigh level, right thigh, initial encounter
Chasing kids off your lawn. To avoid injury, try stretching those limbs prior to any possible sprinting action
R49.0: Defective voice disorder
Screaming at kids to get off your lawn. Closely tied to number 9, perhaps a fake cemetery, monsters, and dead corpses would be a better tactic rather than ruining your vocal chords.
In hopes that we haven’t scared the very skeleton out of you, we would like to wish you a ghoulishly fun and especially enjoyable Halloween!