Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Millions of children each year attend summer camp. Most days are filled with both indoor and outdoor activities including swimming, sports, boating, arts and crafts, field trips, and other activities. On most days, the child come end the day tired but happy and ready for the next day of adventure. Unfortunately, some children are injured at a summer camp whether it is a day summer camp or one that is an overnight camp. Rather then be ready for the next day’s adventure, a child is faced with the pain and suffering associated with the injuries. Camp counselors have a duty to provide reasonable supervision of children. In addition, camp counselors should routinely inspect the indoor and outdoor equipment and report any dangerous conditions to maintenance personnel or supervisors. A camp counselor should use his or her best efforts to keep children away from dangerous and unsafe areas. Camp counselors should also take action to secure or otherwise enclose dangerous and unsafe areas away from curious children. In other words, any unsafe or dangerous areas should be off limits with no access to children. Most states have laws in place that address summer camps childcare providers day care centers and schools as to the duties and obligations of the staff. In addition to these laws ordinances and regulations, a camp counselor should also exercise reasonable care, common sense, and due diligence when providing for the care of children.
Years ago, bounce houses were limited to amusement and theme parks. They were set up and supervised by professionals who had experience with the bounce houses and inflatables. Over time, bounce houses and inflatables became affordable and accessible for just about every parent or person throwing a back yard party. It is common for a parent to rent an inflatable and get limited to no instructions as to safety while the bounce house is in use. There are some companies that take the time to provide safety precautions and recommended rules for use. There are also some companies that provide supervision in addition to the delivery of the bounce house. Supervision is well and good as long as it is consisent and free from distractions. Having a bounce house attendant in place but on his or her mobile phone most of the time is not much better than no supervision at all. When a parent or person rents or puts up a bounce house for use by children, it is important to keep some safety rules, tips, and precautions in mind and in place.
Day care centers should be safe havens for children. They should be a place for a child to grow learn and feel secure in a safe educational environment. Unfortunately, some day care providers and workers lack common sense, patience, training, and education to properly care for children. When a day care worker lacks the necessary patience and as common sense, children are at times subjected to ask of corporal punishment, verbal attacks, physical injuries, and other perils.
In Indiana and other States, day care providers have a duty and responsibility to provide reasonable and necessary supervision of children enrolled in the day care program. Some of these duties and responsibilities are specifically listed in laws, ordinances, regulations, and guidelines. Some are set forth by the day care center and / or its parent company itself. In many instances, when there is not a specific law or regulation in place as to a particular supervision challenge, some duties and responsibilities arise from the situation itself. Due diligence and common sense can go a long way to protect children and prevent the untimely and preventable injuries and deaths that take place too often in day care centers in Indiana and other States.
In Utah and other States, parents rely on day care centers to provide supervision and oversight of their children while the parents are at work. Many day care centers are safe havens and very supportive and safe environments for others; however, there are that are quite dangerous. Tragically, children die while under the care of day care centers. It is certainly heartbreaking when any child dies but especially so when the death could have been avoided with better supervision, common sense, and care by the child care providers who had a legal duty to provide a safe learning environment for the child.
In Ohio and other States, day care centers should be safe havens for children where they can play, learn, and feel safe. Unfortunately, some day care center workers use their positions of trust to prey on children and even infants in day care centers.
In North Carolina and other States, it is important that staff members at day care centers are both trained and attentive. These attributes go hand in hand. Without proper training, all of the attention in the world may prove futile in protecting a child at the day care cente. The same logic applies to a well trained individual who is inattentive or distracted from the prime task at hand – the proper supervision of the children at the day care center. At times, the wrongful death or personal injury to a child at a day care center results from a combination of a lack of adequate training / knowledge and inattention. Tragically, many injuries and deaths that take place at North Carolina Day Care Centers and other facilities could have been easily prevented.
In Pennsylvania and other States, parents rely on day care centers to provide a safe educational environment for their children. Day care centers should be licensed when required by law and otherwise abide by all applicable laws and regulations. In addition, a day care center and its employees should follow the center’s own policies and procedures. Furthermore, all day care center staff members should keep in mind that it is the best interest of the children that should be the focus every day – every minute that the children are being supervised at or by the day care center. Unfortunately, some children are the victims of abuse, neglect, negligence, and even assaults at day care centers. Through better supervision and monitoring by the day care center staff, many such incidents can be avoided or prevented. It is important for day care centers to provide proper trainig and certification of staff members. In addition, the day care center itself should be clean and properly maintained so that it is a safe environment for children. Whatever the pay or the position at a day care center, each job is nonetheless vital because the safety and well being of the children are at risk otherwise.
In New York and other States, children are the unfortunate victims of abuse, neglect, and physical violence. In some instances, the injuries are hidden or masked because the resulting injuries are subtle in nature and explained away by everyday incidents like playing sports or falling down. In other instances, the injuries are far more serious and even fatal. A criminal case went to trial in Manhattan, New York.