By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Parents, teachers, day care providers, babysitters and other adults supervising children should always require children to wear bicycle helmets. There should be no exceptions whether the bicycle ride is short or a long one. Serious accidents or injuries can happen right in the child’s driveway. It is important for a child to wear a helmet – it is also important for a child to wear a properly fitting helmet. If a child wears a helmet that is loose and does not fit, the helmet may have limited to no effect on preventing serious head injuries and brain injuries. You can read valuable tips about bicycle helmets at Easy Steps to Properly Fit a Bicycle Helmet – National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
A 14-year-old Minnesota boy suffered the loss / amputation of his right right testicle after being injured in a playground game called “Sack Tapping.” Sack Tapping, where a unsuspecting male is punched in the groin area, is becoming increasingly popular in all schools: elementary, junior high and high school.
Dog bites can cause serious personal injuries to children and, in some instances, the tragic wrongful death of a child. These incidents can even take place at home with a family dog with no history of aggressiveness or dog bites. In Indianapolis, Indiana, a 9 year old girl suffered serious personal injuries as a result of being mauled / bitten by a Pit Bull breed dog. As the girl was letting the dog outside, the Pit Bull breed dog jumped on her and bit her around the neck while violently wrestling her to the floor. The child sustained serious personal injuries to her neck and trachea. After the vicious attack, the Pit Bull breed dog was quarantined at a local animal hospital.
Children often times are injured in their very own backyards as well as the backyards of neighbors and friends. Homeowners and parents can take safety measures to reduce the number of hazards and risks to children playing in the backyard. Child safety should be a priority.
In South Carolina and other States, you can go to prison if you injure a child in an automobile accident. It was reported that a Spartansburg, South Carolina man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for an automobile accident that caused serious personal injuries to a 10 year old child. The man admitted in criminal proceedings that he was drunk at the time of the crash that caused critical injuries.
Playgrounds are a great place for kids to be active and spend time with families and friends. Unfortunately, some playgrounds are the sites of serious personal injuries and tragedy. Some incidents are pure accidents that could not be expected or prevented while other incidents were preventable with good supervision and proper maintenance of the playground. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 200,000 children suffer injuries from hazards in playground every year. Many children are treated in hospital emergency rooms. Some injuries are serious enough to require surgery and an extended hospital admission. There are some basic steps and safety precautions that can be taken by and for children on playgrounds that can help prevent or reduce the incidents of child personal injuries including the following: