Playground and Amusement Park Injuries
Posted on March 27th, 2013 by Oddo & Babat, P.C.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, each year in the United States, emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries. Children ages 5 to 9 have higher rates of emergency department visits for playground injuries than any other age group and most of these injuries occur at school. The majority of home-related injuries occur on swing sets. A large majority of nonfatal injuries occur on public playground equipment as a result of physical hazards and behavioral elements such as supervision and age-appropriate design. Low income areas had higher incidence of injuries as a result of lower maintenance on equipment. Falls to the surface or on equipment account for a large percentage of head injuries, while broken bones, and surgeries are in many cases a result. In some cases these unfortunate accidents occur on school grounds and the school may be liable for negligence as a result of faulty equipment or lack of supervision.
In recent years playground equipment guidelines and standards
have been developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Society for Testing and Materials. However, accidents, injuries and loss of life continues to happen. Amusement and Theme Park related injuries
are often more serious and these mishaps in many cases result in death.
Operators of amusement parks or playgrounds in New York State are required to provide reasonably safe conditions for protection and are responsible for any negligence in equipment operation and maintenance. According to the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in 2006 approximately 8,800 people were injured on amusement park rides. The most common of these injuries include head, neck and back injuries, broken bones, lacerations and traumatic brain injuries due to rapid speeds and detached objects hitting a rider’s head. The CPSC reports that the leading number of these injuries occur due to mechanical failure, improper operation and passenger misuse and failure to follow instruction.
If you believe you may have grounds to file a lawsuit involving a playground accident at public or private park, amusement park or playground on or off school premises, contact us by email or by phone at 212-642-0950 for a courtesy evaluation. An, Oddo & Babat injury attorney will evaluate your case and aggressively persue the maximum compensation.
I consulted with David the first time a couple of years ago on a serious matter that affected a very close member of my family. Not expecting a good experience from this serious situation coupled with an attorney consultation, the entire thing surprised me as it was pleasant, professional, and completely successful. We found him clear, direct, generous and extremely knowledgeable throughout the process. I give my very strongest recommendation
