Playground Injuries

An alarming number of children are injured while playing on a playground. Estimates are that over 200,000 kids wind up in the Emergency Room as a result of playground mishaps. Some of these accidents could have been avoided had proper precautions been taken by the property owners.

All playgrounds need to be well maintained whether they are the responsibility of a school, a daycare, a park or a private individual. Safety standards for playgrounds have been developed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM). While not all states (including Kentucky) have mandated adherence to these guidelines, these guidelines are recognized as a “standard of care" in the playground industry.

There are many ways in which children are injured on a playground. Many of the injuries can be tied to the following issues:

• Faulty playground equipment
• Unsafe playground surfaces
• Poor maintenance of the grounds or play equipment
• Improper adult supervision of the play area
• Improper spacing of playground equipment
• Play equipment is not age appropriate
• Entrapment in the play equipment

Children deserve to be safe when they are at play. It is important that property owners be mindful of their responsibilities in designing, building and the upkeep of their playgrounds in Louisville or anywhere in Kentucky.

If your child or a loved one has been injured on a playground and you feel that the injuries were caused because the playground was unsafe, then you may want to consider talking to an attorney. Brett H. Oppenheimer is a Kentucky attorney who would like to help you explore your options in taking action. You can contact here or you can call (502) 242-8877.