Holiday accidental injury cost $7.2 m

Lots of falls over ChristmasNew Year period

AUCKLAND: The festive season proved not so merry for thousands of Kiwis who hurt themselves over the holidays, and ACC has paid out more than $7 million in injury claims to date.

A total of $7,218,966 in claims were accepted by the Accident Compensation Corporation for accidents that happened on just six dangerous days over the recent holiday period — Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and January 2.

And although that figure is already sizeable, it is expected to balloon in the next 12 months, as some Kiwis receive continued support for injury rehabilitation and treatment.

Figures released to the Herald on Sunday show 25,403 people made claims for injuries they had suffered on those days. The highest number of injuries was reported on January 2 (4826 claims) and the first day of 2017, when 4602 people were hurt.

The top causes of injuries included falling due to loss of balance, tripping or stumbling, being pushed or pulled, being knocked over by an object or being struck by an animal.

The injuries that were diagno sed most often were soft tissue injuries (strain, sprain or contusion), lacerations, punctures, stings, fractures or dislocations and dental injuries.

Injury by a ‘‘foreign body’’ poking an eye or another part of the body also made the list.

ACC could not provide more detailed descriptions of injuries and how they occurred.

Asked how many accidents involved alcohol, ACC spokeswoman Suzanne Muth said because the organisation was a nofault scheme, people were not required to say whether alcohol contributed to an accident.

Nonetheless, ACC estimates that 11%13% of all claims are alcoholrelated.

Last year’s figures over the holiday period — but including the cost of ongoing treatment — show a total of 26,135 claims with a cost of more than $23 million.

The single highest claim cost was on New Year’s Day, when 4949 claims were accepted, resulting in a payout topping $5.3 million.

‘‘The majority of clients will only need medical costs. However, some will require ongoing care, as they recover, on a casebycase basis.’’

Ms Muth did not say whether ACC would target the festive season in any new safety awareness campaigns as a result of the high holiday costs.

But ACC still had a few injury prevention tips to keep Kiwis safe.

They included fastening loose rugs to the floor, wiping spills as soon as they happen, running power cords along walls, putting toys away and clearing up clutter from walkways.

And when it came to holiday DIY projects, ACC encouraged people to always use a safe and stable ladder when carrying out work, making sure users knew how to correctly operate hired equipment and being realistic about their ability: if you cannot do it, get an expert.