The Medical Minute: Follow tips for a safe, not scary Halloween

Halloween can be scary when the children of your neighborhood transform into ghouls and goblins, princesses and witches for trick-or-treat fun. But nothing sends a chill down a parent’s spine like the realization that trick-or-treat could turn into a tragedy.

According to Susan Rzucidlo, pediatric trauma program manager at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital and coordinator of Safe Kids Dauphin County, roughly four times as many children between ages 5 and14 are injured or killed while walking on Halloween evening compared with other nights of the year.