Avoid common Thanksgiving injuries

Everyone wants to make holiday memories, but you don't want to remember this Thanksgiving as the one you spent in the emergency room. Emergency room physician Dr. Seth Podolsky with Cleveland Clinic says Thanksgiving is a big day for burns.

"A lot of people like those deep-fryers. There are stories of people taking an ice cold turkey, throwing it in a boiling hot deep-fryer and the next thing you know you have a fire on your hands, or an explosion," he explained.

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To decrease your burn risk, Podolsky says to avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing while you're cooking. A dangling sleeve can catch fire if it contacts a flame.

It's also a good idea to make the area near the stove a "kids free zone." Keep the little ones at least three feet away at all times. Turn pot handles inwards and try to keep them on the back burners to reduce the risk they'll be knocked over.

Cuts also cause a lot of emergency room visits on Thanksgiving Day. Podolsky says it typically happens when slicing bread or preparing vegetables.

"People are always cutting themselves when they're preparing foods, so knife safety and proper handling is definitely something you want to keep in mind," he said.

And if you are traveling to a colder part of the country, beware of ice-covered driveways and sidewalks.  Podolsky says falls can send people to the hospital on Thanksgiving Day, too.