Certainly many New Jersey residents have fond memories of playing on the swing sets and other playground equipment during school recesses. While certainly no one would want to do away with this tradition altogether, parents do need to remember that when school officials or others do not carefully supervise children who are using a playground, a serious child injury is more likely to occur.
In another state recently, a 12-year-old girl was playing on her school playground’s monkey bars. She was apparently hanging upside down when she lost her grip and fell. She dropped several feet and landed headfirst. She suffered significant head trauma and required surgery. She will be in rehabilitation for many weeks and possibly months. Whether she will need long-term care following her rehab is not clear at this time.
While there were no other physical injuries, several of the child’s peers witnessed the accident. The school invited professionals to be available to the students in the event that they needed someone with whom they could talk about the incident.
Although this tragic accident did not happen in New Jersey, certainly this is not the only case of a serious playground accident possibly depriving a child of a flourishing adulthood. While no one wants to take away a kid’s fun, those adults who choose to watch kids play on playgrounds must supervise them appropriately and do everything reasonable to protect the kids from danger.
Those who own the playground equipment also share in this responsibility; in particular, they must make sure that the equipment is in proper working order and does not impose an obvious hazard to the children who play on it.
If a child does happen to get injured on a playground through the negligent actions or omissions of another person, then the parents of that child may be able to sue for reasonable compensation for the loss.
Source: News Cow, “Ark City child hurt in playground fall Monday,” Shane Farley, May 14, 2013
