Summertime and Playground Accidents Go Hand in Hand

Summer is nearly upon us. Kids are out of school for a couple of months, and the weather is nice enough for them to spend more and more time outside. Parents are faced with difficult choices regarding the level of supervision a child needs in the neighborhood or even in their own backyards.

Making one’s own home safe is important but equally important is paying attention to potential safety issues children might encounter while out and about. Though it would be nice if other people took safety as seriously as they should, there will always be people who do not heed.

Examples are everywhere. A child was killed by a makeshift rope swing in Bellingham, Washington on May 4th, 2017. The child was swinging by himself and somehow became entangled in the rope.

Unsafe equipment like this exists in neighborhoods all over the country. There are a variety of neighborhood hazards that you should be aware of when deciding how far to let your children wander. Hazards include:

• Improperly fenced pools or fenced pools with gates that are too easily opened
• Unfenced trampolines
• Unsafe and makeshift swing sets and other playground type equipment

Unfortunately, many homeowners do not take safety seriously, crafting dangerous “play equipment” for their children and failing to properly secure their premises. These hazards pose major risks to children, including the risk of significant injury and even death. Even failure to properly tighten screws or perform other routine maintenance can turn a toy into a hazard.

If your child has been injured due to another person’s negligence, understanding how the law works can seem overwhelming. The law has certain expectations regarding maintaining safe premises, and too many people ignore those laws. Please, retain an experienced attorney who can help you demonstrate the property owner’s negligence.