Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Keeping Children Safe on the Playground
Parents want their children to enjoy going to the park and playing in the playground. It is a good way for them to get exercise, sunshine, and to socialize with other children. However, sometimes playground equipment can be dangerous.
Injuries are the leading cause of child fatalities in the U.S.
Every day 33 children die because of injuries. Each year, of the 9.2 million children seen in emergency rooms for injuries, 12,175 children die as a result of being injured.
Research shows that girls are injured on playgrounds more often than boys, and children aged 5-9 have the highest rates of visits to the emergency rooms for playground injuries. Most of the playground injuries occurred at either schools or daycare centers.
How can a playground be dangerous?
More than 200,000 children are injured while playing on playground equipment each year in the U.S.
Climbing equipment in particular can be dangerous for children. Swings are the second most likely piece of equipment to cause injury. Most of these injuries occur on public playgrounds.
Falls are the leading cause of injuries for children aged 0-19, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Every day there are 8,000 treated in hospital emergency rooms from falls, for a total of 2.8 million children a year.
What kind of injuries?
According to the CDC, about 45% of injuries from playground accidents are fractures, internal injuries, concussions, dislocations, and amputations.
Unforunately, some of those injuries result in death. The CDC reports that between 1990-2000 147 children died from playground injuries. Most of these deaths (82) were from strangulation. The others (31) were from falls to the playground surface. Most of these deaths occurred on home playgrounds.
Playgrounds in lower income areas often have more hazards than playgrounds in higher income neighborhoods. These hazards can include trash, rusty equipment, damaged fall surfaces, and poorly maintained equipment.
How can parents protect their children?
Prevention tips for parents:
- make sure playground equipment is maintained;
- make sure the landing surface is soft and made of sand, mulch, rubber, or tiles;
- supervise children on playground equipment;
- make sure the older children play separately from younger children;
- make sure the equipment is appropriate for your child’s age and abilities;
- watch for strings and ropes that can strangle;
- make sure no bolts are protruding from equipment;
- make sure equipment is anchored to the ground.
Seeking Legal Help
When you are interviewing Boston child injury lawyers ask critical questions, like:
- How long have you been practicing?
- What is the largest settlement or verdict you've obtained?
- Do you have experience with child burn accidents?
Kiley Law Group, located in Andover and Boston, Massachusetts takes time when speaking with you about your case, and works with you on a contingent basis so there are NO FEES unless our trained personal injury lawyers win your case.
Call now for a FREE evaluation of your case: 1-888-208-1695.
