Daycare playground negligence claims arise from inadequate or improper supervision of the children or dangerous equipment that is not age appropriate which results in injury or even death. In the U.S., over 8-million children, or 40% of those under the age of five, spend at least part of every week being cared for by someone other than a parent.
Daycare Playground Negligence Injuries
While falling is the leading cause of reported daycare injuries, up to 60% of those injuries occur on the playground where a fall is a common event. Running, climbing, or playing can easily result in a fall when young children are at play, but it is the responsibility of the daycare worker to step in before injury happens and to keep the grounds and equipment safe, clean, and age appropriate for the children that will be playing there.
Daycare Playground Negligence Statistics
Playgrounds can cause serious threats to children as following statistics show:
- Every year over 200,000 preschool and elementary children received care in the ER for injuries from use of playground equipment
- For children aged 0 – 4, head and face injuries accounted for 60% of injuries on the playground; for children aged 5 – 14, 43% of injuries were to arms and hands
- For children aged 0 – 4 and children aged 5 – 14, slides, swings and climbing equipment had the highest incidence of reported cause of injury
- The most common reported diagnoses from playground injuries were fractures, lacerations, contusions, abrasions, strains or sprains, and internal injuries
Day Care Injury from Playground Equipment
There are many pieces of playground equipment as well as the way the playground is designed that pose a danger to the children playing on it.
- Use of age appropriate playground equipment – for example, a toddler should not be using a tall slide with open steps where a leg could slip through causing a fracture, head injury, or worse
- The playground surface should be rubberized tiles, soft play-safe sand, or loose shredded material about 12-inches thick for safety from any falls or sliding
- Equipment should not be placed too close to a fence, sharp objects, or trip hazards
- Metal slides or climbing equipment left out in the open sun can become hot and cause burns and needs to be checked before children use
- Regular routine daily checks of equipment and play area for providing a safe environment should be made with any dangerous situations taken care of immediately
- Daily removal of any trash, standing water
- Regular checks for bugs, bees, or pests that may invade a piece of equipment or play area
- Playground designed for clear line of sight by supervising staff, or need for additional staff to keep watch on all children playing on the playground
Personal Injury Attorney For All Ages
If your child was hurt from daycare playground negligence, call the attorney who works for all ages. Call the offices of attorney Joel Baskin to discuss your rights and options.