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Jack-o-Lantern Safety: Keep pumpkin carving injuries at bay this Halloween

Carving a Jack-o-Lantern is a fun holiday tradition for Halloween. But if you’re not careful, the activity can end with a trip to the emergency room.

University Orthopedics’ Jonathan Schiller, MD and Julia Katarincic, MD want to see your kids as trick-or-treaters, not patients. 

They have some helpful safety information to keep your pumpkin carving session from turning into a ghoulish scene, including:

  • Supervise children
  • Choose proper tools – the biggest knife isn’t necessarily the best
  • Keep pumpkin on a stable surface
  • Carve in a well-lit room

If you do get cut, seek medical help if:

  • Bleeding doesn’t stop after applying pressure for 10-15 minutes
  • You can’t bend fingers
  • Fingers feel numb

University Orthopedics is holding a pumpkin carving contest. To enter, submit a photo of your Jack-o-Lantern on our Facebook page and you could win a UOI prize pack including 2 water bottles, 3 UOI masks, and a $25 gift card to Amazon.