Playground Injury Lawsuits in Richmond, VA

We all hope our children have pleasant memories of their time spent on the playground.  Unfortunately, each year approximately 200,000 children show up in the emergency room from a playground injury.  Geoff McDonald & Associates can bring your playground injury lawsuit on your behalf to protect your and your children’s rights.

Playground injury lawsuits are generally the result of two things:  inadequate supervision or defective playground equipment.

Playground Liability

Playground owners have a duty to protect children from foreseeable dangers on the premises and to regularly inspect the playground equipment.  Injury due to decaying or failed playground equipment is negligence.  Improperly installed equipment, or poorly designed or constructed equipment, can also be negligence on the part of others besides playground supervisors.  They can be sued for defective playground equipment.

Negligent Supervision

Another kind of negligence is inattentive supervision.  When someone accepts the responsibility of watching your child, that person could be liable for harm that comes to your child because of a lack of supervision.  One example of this type of playground lawsuit is where children are let out to play at recess without any supervision and a fight erupts.  If the fight escalates and a child is pushed off a climber and breaks a leg, the organization responsible for monitoring the students could be sued for negligence.

Government Immunity

The right to sue a public school or a city for an injury that occurred on its playground may be limited by Virginia laws.  No immunity exists for private schools, daycares, and private homes.  If your child was injured on a playground, you should consult Geoff McDonald & Associates to determine whether a playground injury lawsuit can be successful.

Playground Safety Standards

The Consumer Product Safety Commission of the Federal Government has published a playground safety handbook that lists the following important standards amongst many others:

• Protective surfacing under and around equipment to protect from falls and impact
• No openings with the potential for head or body entrapment
• The scale of equipment and other design features related to user age
• Proper installation and maintenance
• No protrusions, sharp edges, or crush or shear points
• Good site lines

Fighting a Playground Accident Lawsuit

The first thing to do is to make sure your child is getting proper care, not just in the emergency room, but with later follow-ups.  After the health of your child is under control, contact Geoff McDonald & Associates to see if you can pursue a playground accident lawsuit.