Severe Playground Accidents: Traumatic Brain Injuries or Death
Spring is here and both parents and children across Indiana and Illinois are looking forward to the approaching summer break from school. The last day of school for Indianapolis Public Schools this year is June 13, 2019. For Chicago Public Schools families, school is out for the summer on June 18, 2019.
Kids Get Hurt on the Playground
For many kids, summertime means playtime on playground equipment like swings, slides, horizontal bars, climbing pieces, chain or rope climbers, spring rockers, sandboxes, and seesaws.
They’ll play at public parks, as well as private campgrounds, clubs, resorts, camps, and even restaurant franchises and shopping malls. Playgrounds are everywhere.
It’s important that parents and caretakers understand the risks and dangers that come with kids and playground fun.
According to the University of Iowa’s National Program for Playground Safety, over 200,000 children are hurt in playground accidents each year, sustaining injuries severe enough that the child needs immediate medical attention.
Their research confirms that every 2.5 minutes in this country, a child is seen in an Emergency Room needing emergency medical care for bodily injuries sustained while at play on a playground.
Emergency Physicians Warn of Child Playground Accidents
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) understands the importance of children being kept safe while at play on playgrounds and on playground equipment. From their perspective, it is up to parents to understand playground dangers and to teach playground safety to their kids.
“Many playground injuries can be avoided if parents are mindful about the risks and teach children to obey safety rules,” said Rebecca Parker, MD, FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. “We encourage children to get outside and play to promote a healthier lifestyle, but we want to make sure our children are as safe as possible.”
According to the ACEP, children are at risk for all sorts of bodily injuries while they are active at a playground. Emergency rooms may treat kids who suffer from the following after a playground accident:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)(concussion)
- Fractures (broken bones)
- Sprains
- Internal bleeding
- Contusions
- Abrasions.
They report that over half of all emergency care involves broken bones, contusions, and abrasions. As for the location of the injuries, a wide majority (75%) of their reported “nonfatal” playground accident injuries happened on the public playground equipment at places like schools and day care centers.
Playground Accidents and Traumatic Brain Injuries
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms that over 20,000 children suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year as the result of a playground accident. About two-thirds of these playground-related TBIs happened on a school playground, or at places offering sports or recreational activities.
According to the CDC, the highest risk of a child suffering a playground accident brain injury is when the child is playing on monkey bars, climbing equipment, or swings.
Children are most vulnerable to brain injuries while playing on a playground during the week, not on the weekend. Most emergency room visits for playground-related TBIs happen Monday through Friday.
The risk is highest for a child to suffer a traumatic brain injury in a playground accident during the months of April, May, and September.
Other risk factors for child TBIs in playground accidents include:
- Boys are more likely to suffer a playground-related TBI;
- Kids between the ages of 5 and 9 years old are at the greatest risk for suffering a TBI in a playground accident;
- Infants to 4 years old are most likely suffer a brain injury while playing on swings and slides;
- Children between the ages of 5 and 9 years old are at the greatest danger of a TBI when enjoying swings, monkey bars, and climbing equipment on the playground.
Fatal Playground Accidents
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has studied the tragedy of children dying as the result of a playground accident. From the CPSC research, we know that the average age of child who passes away because of a playground fatality is six (6) years old.
These deaths are horrific to contemplate. Over half of these children died (68%) because the victim strangled while at play on playground equipment. These strangulation deaths often involved a combination of play equipment, such as jump ropes and slides or swings.
Another significant percentage of fatal playground accidents (15%) happened due to slip and falls at the site, where the child fell and was fatally injured.
Risks of Children Hurt in Illinois and Indiana Playground Accidents
In support of National Playground Safety Week (April 22 – 26, 2019), we encourage parents and caretakers to be aware of the dangers children face while enjoying play equipment on a playground here in Indiana or Illinois.
Children of any age, from infancy to older teenagers, can suffer a serious or permanent brain injury as well as sustaining fatal harm while on a playground. Innocent fun can turn into a severe or deadly playground accident within an instant.
In our next post, we’ll discuss the distinctions between public and private playgrounds, as well as the variety of defendants who may have legal liability for a playground accident based upon negligence as well as premises liability and defective product laws. Please be careful out there!
