Climbing ladders to hang holiday decorations. Traveling on icy roads and sidewalks. Sliding down snow-covered slopes and across frozen rinks. The holiday season may be full of good cheer — but it’s also fraught with opportunities for accidental injuries. And treating an unexpected mishap can put a bigger pinch in your holiday budget than the Grinch himself.

Back and head injuries are the most common cause of accident claims during the holiday season, according to more than 120,000 such claims received by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company from October through January over the past five years. Cuts, strains and broken bones round out the list of the top five accident claims categories:

  • Back injury
  • Head injury
  • Arm or finger laceration
  • Ankle or leg sprain or strain
  • Arm or finger fracture

Health insurance helps pay for medical expenses related to an accident, but today’s higher-deductible plans leave many people with sizeable out-of-pocket expenses. They may also face other nonmedical expenses related to an accident, such as lost income from not being able to work, rehabilitation, travel to treatment or caregiver expenses. A voluntary accident plan purchased at the workplace can help employees protect themselves and their families from this financial exposure.

Voluntary accident insurance typically offers a wide range of coverage, including:

  • Hospital admissions
  • Emergency treatment in an emergency room, doctor’s office and urgent care visits
  • Surgery
  • Rehabilitation unit
  • Occupational therapy
  • Medical imaging study, X-rays

“Accidents can happen any time and anywhere – around the house, visiting friends and family or while enjoying winter outdoor activities,” says Steven Johnson, vice president for product development at Colonial Life. “People who buy a voluntary accident plan don’t have to wait for their health insurance plan to pay before they file a claim on their accident plan. Policyholders who have a covered accident can have the plan’s benefits paid directly to them to use any way they want.”

Learn more about accident insurance on Colonial Life’s website or on Colonial Life’s benefits learning center.

About Colonial Life

Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company is a market leader in providing financial protection benefits through the workplace, including disability, life, accident, cancer, critical illness and hospital confinement indemnity insurance. The company’s benefit services and education, innovative enrollment technology and personal service support more than 80,000 businesses and organizations, representing more than 3 million of America’s workers and their families. For more information visit www.coloniallife.com or connect with the company at www.facebook.com/coloniallifebenefits, www.twitter.com/coloniallife and www.linkedin.com/company/colonial-life.