As the summer ends, a new school year begins in the Greater St. Louis area. Another school year means your child will be spending a large amount of time at school learning and playing. Every parent relies on school officials and staff to provide adequate safety for their children not just in the classroom, but on the playground as well. According to a summary of information gathered by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, over 200,000 school age children, 14 and younger, are injured on playgrounds every year in the United States. While some of these injuries are related to at home playgrounds or parks, many playground injuries happen at school during recess.
A study on playground injuries by the CDC reports 45% of playground injuries that occur at a park or school are severe and include concussions, dislocations, fractures, internal injuries, and amputations. The cost of these playground injuries cost nearly $1.2 billion annually. The CDC report also states children ages five to nine account for more injuries at school playgrounds than any other group. Girls are more likely to have a playground-related injury than boys, but only slightly. The CDC reviews emergency room visits and those treated medically for playground-related injuries.
No one wants to receive a call learning that their child has been hurt at school. If your child has been injured at school and you believe negligence played a role in the injury, please contact Meyerkord & Kurth, LLC, as soon as possible. An attorney at our St. Louis personal injury law firm will help you understand your legal options during a free case review.