Numbers Don’t Lie About Iowa Playground Injuries
Children love to play, especially on playground equipment. When a playground becomes a danger zone, it can take the fun right out of a child and cause injuries plus physical and emotional scarring.
Playground-related injuries in Iowa and throughout the United States have more than doubled since 1980 and are caused by a number of factors, including: defective playground equipment, swing accidents, failure to provide protective surfacing in case of a fall, lack of adult supervision, and more.
According to a playground safety fact sheet from Safe Kids USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing childhood injuries, hundreds of children have died on public playground equipment over the years, and hundreds of thousands have sustained playground-related injuries.
Facts on Playground Injuries and Fatalities
- 147 children died between 1990 and 2000 due to playground equipment.
- 8,250 children under the age of 2 were injured on playground equipment and treated in emergency rooms in 2001.
- 206,900 children ages 14 and under suffered playground-related injuries in 2004.
- About 75% of playground injuries are to children ages 5 to 14.
- Approximately 50% of playground-related injuries occur to children ages 5 to 9, and the majority of these playground accidents occur at school.
- About 45% of playground injuries are serious, including dislocations, concussions, fractures, internal injuries and amputations.
- Children ages 4 and younger are more prone to suffer face and head injuries.
- Children ages 5 to 14 typically sustain injuries to the hands and arms.
- Female children sustain more playground-related injuries than male children.
- Falls are the most common non-fatal playground injury.
- Strangulation is the leading cause of playground fatalities.
Although playground falls are typically non-fatal, there are many fall-related deaths associated with playground equipment. According to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) study, about 80 percent of public playgrounds had protective surfacing to protect children in case of a fall. That means about 20 percent of playgrounds do not have protective surfacing and can increase your child's risks for head injuries and fatalities in the event of a fall.
3 Things You Can Do to Help Reduce Your Child's Playground Injuries
- Inspect the playground prior to letting your child play on it - this includes even the school playground.
- Verify that there is protective surfacing underneath the playground equipment and swings.
- Supervise your child or confirm that there is adequate adult supervision at the school playground.
If your child suffered Iowa playground injuries after a playground accident at school, at a public park, or at someone else's house, you need to find out your rights. Call an experienced Cedar Rapids product liability lawyer to speak with a qualified attorney at the law offices of Brady Preston Gronlund at (319) 866-9277 in a free legal evaluation.
