Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Roy Dickinson, Attorney & David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Now that the holiday season is over – – – children will be busy playing with the toys, bikes, skateboards, and other items that they received in December. While these items can occupy the time of a child, entertain them, and help them be active – these items can also be the cause, in part, of injuries to children. As reported by Safe Kids USA, speed and small parts are included as the causes for toy related injuries. Emergency room visits take place due, in part, to accidents while a child is riding a tricycle, bicycle, or scooter. While the only way to avoid every single injury is to avoid these items and activities – this is not realistic or sensible; however, there are safety measures that a child can take under the guidance and supervision of a parent, babysitter, school, day care center, or other responsible adult. Training and instruction can go a long way to prevent injuries. Make sure that the child understands the mechanism of the toy or bike and that he has lots of practice before taking longer rides or riding faster. It has been reported that 150,000 children are seen in emergency rooms every year due to toy related injuries. Of these injuries, approximately 1/3 of the injuries resulted from riding toys like a tricycle or scooter. Between the years of 1990 to 2009, almost 200 children have died due to choking related injuries caused by small toy parts. For more information on this topic – See Causes of Injuries from Toys – Small Parts and Speed.
Child safety experts recommend that all children wear a helmet on any riding toy or device. Whether the riding toy is a slow one or a toy capable of higher speeds, a child should always wear a helmet for his or her protection. Furthermore, parents should know that a serious injury can just as easily occur close to home in the driveway as it can further away from the home. Concrete is concrete and when a child hits the ground without a helmet – serious head or brain injuries can and do happen. While a helmet will not reduce all injuries or incidents, it is one safety measure or item that should always be used.
The book titled – The ABCs of Child Injury – Legal Rights of the Injured Child – What Every Parent Should Know – has chapters on Medical Bills / Medical Treatment, Damages / Compensation, Homeowner’s Insurance, Playground Injuries, and other topics. You can get this book for free at The ABCs of Child Injury.