Toys And Playgrounds Might Not Be As Safe As One Would Presume
Injuries to children can occur anywhere. It could happen in your house or backyard, school or day care, or even a public park. While no one can keep a child protected all the times, it is important for parents and children to become aware of the dangers that lurk in playgrounds and toys. The Pennsylvania playground accident lawyers at the Philadelphia law firm of Reiff and Bily have been researching and handling many defective toy and playground injury cases since 1979.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that in 2001 about 45% of playground-related injuries are severe (fractures, internal injuries, concussions, dislocations, and amputations) and about 75% of nonfatal injuries related to playground equipment occur on public playgrounds.
Between 1990 and 2000, 147 children ages 14 and younger died from playground-related injuries. Of them, 82 (56%) died from strangulation and 31 (20%) died from falls to the playground surface. Most of these deaths (70%) occurred on home playgrounds. Public playground climbers is the most common cause of an injury as compared to any other equipment. On home playgrounds, swings are responsible for most injuries.
There are ways to help prevent injuries. Improve adult supervision on playgrounds and educate both parents and children alike about age-appropriate equipment. Building playgrounds of a better surface (such as shredded rubber or woodchips) can help reduce fall injuries and also improve maintenance of the equipment. Checking children’s clothing will also help to prevent entanglement or other injuries.
Injuries can also occur off the playground. Earlier in June, there was a recall of Merry-Go-Rounds manufactured by Pacific Cycle and sold through Toys’R’Us. The Merry-Go-Round has an inner bearing that could fail, causing the seats to drop to the ground, injuring the children who are sitting.
The Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at Reiff and Bily work on a contingent fee basis, charging a small percentage of the recovery. They will not get paid one cent unless there is a successful recovery. They have handled numerous personal injury cases and have successfully recovered in excess of $150 million dollars from their opponents for physical injuries and emotional damages.
If you are in need of an attorney because you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury as a result of a playground or defective toy accident, please call the experienced Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at the law firm of Reiff and Bily.
