Local News

May 23, 2008

Protect Your Children on Playgrounds This Summer

On May 14, a Bethel Jury returned a $40,000 verdict against the City of Chevak for harms and losses suffered by a child I represented who was injured on the City of Chevak's playground. The child fell on improperly maintained playground equipment and a metal rod punctured his neck. Fortunately, his parents described him as being in excellent shape today, but the harm could have been much worse.

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, each year emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries. Between 1990 and 2000, 147 children ages 14 and younger died from playground-related injuries. Of them, 82 died from strangulation and 31 died from falls to the playground surface.

With the river breaking up here on the delta, a number of kids will be heading out to play on playgrounds. A municipality has duty to maintain its playgrounds in a safe condition for kids. Yet, too often, municipalities fail to maintain the playground equipment safely, which leads to children getting injured.

Over the long Alaskan winter, stairs on slides rust, chains on swings loosen, padding under equipment wears thin, and in some cases the snow melts away to reveal glass and other debris on the playground. Even the best parents cannot always protect their kids.

Here is a basic checklist of some of the things to look for when taking kids to the playground.

• 1). Check for dangerous objects sticking up out of the ground.
• 2). Check for glass, discarded syringes, and other sharp objects.
• 3). Make sure the playground equipment is sturdy and in good repair.
• 4). Ask yourself whether the playground is appropriate for your child.
• 5). Be sure there is a thick, soft, uniform ground cover to pad your child’s fall.

As you go over the checklist, should you find any of these things wrong with your community’s playground, report the problem to the city or the school district so the playground can be made safe for kids. When you report the problem remind them that they have a duty to maintain the playground in a safe condition. Have a safe summer!

written by Sean Brown, an attorney at Power and Brown law firm