Children are reckless and fragile. This combination, especially paired on a playground, can lead to a lot of injuries. There are a certain number of things that you should be mindful about if your child is injured on the playground.
Assess The Injury
If your child is injured on the playground, the first thing that needs to be done is an assessment of the injury. Determining the severity of the injury can also provide information to help you decide if there is more investigating that needs to be done. Cuts and scrapes are common injuries on the playground, while more severe injuries like broken bones, concussions, bleeding and internal injuries can be determining factors to much more aggressive situations. Gathering this initial information can be a key first step in knowing if there is more to the story.
Call Paramedics If Needed
After you have determined the severity of your child’s injuries, you will know whether or not you need immediate care. Broken bones or concussions will require your child to be brought to a hospital for medical care. There, your child will also be inspected and if they have any internal injuries, it will be made known to you. In such a case, you want to be as clear with the hospital staff about the situation. If you were not the person responsible for watching your child, if the injuries occurred at school, the caregiver at the time should provide a detailed account of both the events and the injuries. This is not only important for gathering information about the incident, but if the situation follows with legal proceedings, these financial costs will give you a benchmark in how to proceed with your accusations.
Understand The Story
Children have a tendency to bend the truth, especially on the playground where an injury occurs. This will come from all kids, regardless of whether they were the ones that caused the injury and do not want to take blame for it, or if the injury happened to them and they don’t want their friends to be held responsible. As a parent, you want to gather as much information as possible. If you are at the playground with your child, you are responsible for watching them and knowing what occurs and their health and safety. As children run and move about, you may not always have the best vantage, so other parents and even kids can give you pieces of information to assemble the full story. If you are not there at the time of the injury, perhaps one that occurred at school or with your children playing without your supervision, you should find someone who can provide a testimonial about the events.
Determine Responsibility
With the story in hand, you should be able to determine the responsibility of your child’s injuries. In addition to the injuries and responsibility, you want to also assess whether there are other factors present in the case. These factors include things like negligence, specifically from a position of an authority figure that holds responsibility for watching the children, whether that is from the parent, guardian, or a pet owner(if the injuries consist of bites or due to a pet), and intent, whether this is premeditated from maybe another child, bully or other person. A lack of intent can translate to a simple accident, without providing a case for legal action, whereas the presence of intent can completely change the situation.
Contact A Legal Professional
If you believe there is a reason for your child’s injuries outside of being accidental, even if it is the slightest inclination, you should contact a legal professional. They will first be able to review the facts of the situation and inform you of whether you have grounds to press further, or whether there is insufficient evidence present. Experts at Trollinger Law will be able to guide you through such a process. They will help you determine what steps to take and how to go about those steps in detail. Professionals will be able to utilize their experience with similar cases to be more efficient throughout the process.
Evidence And Witnesses
If there is a case here, you want to gather as much evidence as possible. If your child was injured on a playground, you want to take videos and photographs of the area. This will determine if manufacturers can be held responsible for the play sets themselves. Getting contact information and taking down statements from witnesses will also be important. Make sure to do this as soon as the injury occurs as the fresher you are able to get information, the more reliable it is.
Children will find themselves in a lot of situations where they can get hurt and injured. It is wise to be cautious and know what steps to take or what to do, as not every situation will be the same.