Playground Accident & Injury

According to recent research, there is an annual estimate of 200,000 children who sustain injuries, and visit hospital emergency rooms for accidents on the playground.

A total of 45%, which is nearly half of these injuries, are considered to be catastrophic, including head trauma, internal injuries, dislocations, and bone fractures.

Many of these accidents occur at public playgrounds, as a result of subpar safety standards by individuals responsible for maintenance and construction of the playground, and the manufacturers of equipment for playgrounds.

Playgrounds may be meant to be someplace a child can enjoy in the outdoors, but they can become hazardous when not maintained or well designed.


Annually, in addition to injuries in the thousands which occur on playgrounds, fatalities emerge as well.


Within a decade in relation to playground accidents, nearly 150 children were killed due to strangulation, falls to a hard surface, and entrapment.

Several of the dangerous due to negligence on playgrounds include the following: hard surfaces or concrete under swings, monkey bars, slides, and various climbing equipment; deteriorating or rotting wood; corroded or rusty metal on swings, ladders, or other equipment; on higher surfaces, lack of safety rails; play areas and equipment poorly maintained; and poorly designed equipment which can cause entrapment with small openings.

The property owner, in addition to individuals in charge of maintaining and constructing playgrounds are responsible for making sure it’s safe.

Parks owned by the public, daycare facilities, schools, and private entities all are likely held liable when they offer a playground that contains hazards, and is considered unsafe.

It is hardly anyone’s intention to see children become hurt when all they want to do is have fun in an active and healthy way.


Child care professionals, as well as parents, have a responsibility to safeguard children from playground harm.

The construction and maintenance of the playground may be the responsibility of the city, school, or organization which owns the property, but it takes all of us to help improve safety on the playground.

Tips to ensure safety for children include:

Older children should not be on Tyler equipment.

Select clothing which doesn’t have ties or loose strings, which can become caught on playground equipment.

It is necessary for small children to have supervision when enjoying playground equipment.

Due to lack of maintenance, efforts of substandard safety, or poor construction, this can constitute as negligence if a child becomes injured on the playground.

Many lawful angles can be pursued for proof of liability, but it depends on the circumstance.

A child’s parent can seek compensation for all related expenses to the health treatment of a child; this includes, medical bills, lost wages, special equipment, rehabilitation, and extensive injury treatments.

If a child sustains a catastrophic injury, like brain trauma, punitive damages, as well as compensation for suffering and pain, can be considered.

There could be a pursuit of a wrongful death lawsuit for the loss of a child in the tragic case of his or her death.

Contact us for a free consultation or call Anzalone Law Firm PLLC, at: 603.548.3797