Children are geared up to social activity, always longing to make relationships, communicate, and cooperate with other children. Playing together has several benefits; for instance, kids can develop their language skills, feelings, creativity, and social skills. Play can grow their thoughts and give them a sense of adventure. Sometimes children get injured accidentally, but what if the playground accident could have been avoided? If your child is severely injured while playing in a playground due to defective equipment or someone’s carelessness, she or he deserves compensation.
What Are The Common Causes of Playground Accidents?
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), emergency sectors receive and treat more than 200,000 children who are below 14 years for playground injuries in the United States every year. Various factors can cause playground injuries; however, some elements are prevalent than others. For example:
Poor maintenance and the design of the playground
The most common causes of injuries on public playgrounds are climbing injuries, while on a home playground; swings can cause injuries to your kids. On any playground, regardless of whether it is a public or a home playground, manufacturer fault and accountability might play a significant role in childhood injuries. Depending on the type of materials used in the construction of the playground equipment wear might occur, playground equipment can get old; for instance, metal playground components can corrode, rivets and bolts can become loose, or wood decays can occur. Due to these factors, it is necessary that the playground is inspected regularly and maintained.
Additionally, manufacturers and distributors should make sure that the playground equipment is safe for use. They must take every measure to prevent errors in the manufacturing line, hazardous designs, and inadequate safety warning labels. Violating this rule can lead to consumer injuries on faulty or unsafe playground equipment.
Some injuries that can arise from faulty playground equipment include;
- Falls from swings that have defective chains
- Cuts from bare metals on slides
- Scrape wounds from exposed screws and nails
- A falling surface that was too rigid
- A space big enough for a child’s head to get stuck
- Amputated limbs that result from playground equipment with pinch risks
- Playground equipment with strangulation dangers
- Ramps that don’t have enough guardrails
Lack of enough supervision
Regular observation and supervision of children while playing can play a significant role in preventing playground injuries. Children are mostly uninformed of their restrictions, and without supervision, they can do anything. Kids lack the needed familiarity to know the risks that come with climbing too high and running very fast. Therefore, it is your responsibility to provide a safe environment while on the playground. The level of supervision needed will depend on factors like the age of the kids and the level of risk linked with the playground activity.
Failure to supervise children on the playground can result in emergencies, youthful injuries, and can sometimes be fatal. Proving negligent supervision can require an eyewitness, investigating the particular worker, and using evidence to show that extra guidance in the playground could have prevented the injury. Most states have laws that set minimum playground safety standards, including the design and the standards for playground equipment. These are some of the things to ask when meeting a personal injury lawyer.
Child-on child injury
Some kids are overly violent than others. Even at a tender age, they can sometimes be defensive while on playgrounds. The child’s ability to act sensibly is usually reliant on his or her age and level of maturity. In many states, courts adopt a “reasonable child” standard, where such a child is anticipated to act as a reasonable kid at the same age, maturity as well as intellect. However, some states have more detailed guidelines that are strictly applied to children of a specific age group. Types of injuries caused by other kids might include biting, pushing another kid from high playground equipment like slides, and scratching.
Dog-bites
Some parents love bringing their dogs along when taking their kids to a playground. The hyperactive energy of playing children can make some dogs react violently and wrongly. Domesticated dogs are usually trained to become tame and friendly towards humans, but they are animals, and there is a limit to what they can stomach. Dogs can be aggressive due to various reasons like lack of proper training, lack of exercise, and pregnancy, among many others.
The best way to prevent dog-bite in playgrounds is to avoid going to places where there are animals, especially big dogs, and the types of dogs that are known to be aggressive. Additionally, your kids should know that it is not good to pet a dog on instinct and that they should always ask for permission if they want to pet a dog. To make things safer, tell them never to touch a dog that is sleeping. Remember that prevention is better than cure.
Who is Liable for Playground Injuries?
It can be hard to determine who is liable because children tend to point fingers at everyone. However, some parties could be held responsible for your kid’s injury including;
- The owner of the dog that bit your child; the dog owner is answerable for any unprovoked dog attack on a child, even if the dog was on a chain.
- The parents of the child that injured your kid; many states make the parents monetarily responsible for any injuries caused by their children.
- The playground equipment manufacturer; equipment manufacturers are required to meet the standard consumer safety specifications when designing, constructing, and maintaining the playground equipment.
- The property owner or manager, property managers, and owners have the duty to make the playground safe for children; this includes repairing or getting rid of hazardous playground conditions.
- The individual who was supervising the kids when they were playing; daycares and schools have the legal responsibility to protect children in their care.
Conclusion
To keep your children safe at the playground, make sure to look out for things in the playground that will trip your child and confirm that the guardrails are in good condition. Additionally, check to verify that the playground has soft material beneath them, for instance, woodchips, sand, or mulch to prevent your kids from falling on hard surfaces.
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