Los Angeles School Playground Injuries

Playground injuries appear to simply be a normal part of childhood and part of “building character” for some parents.  However, playground injuries are often the fault of another person, whether another child or an inattentive supervisor, and should be adequately dealt with.  A playground injury can have serious repercussions on a child’s future, including their ability to continue with daily activities.  As the parent of a child who was injured on the playground in Los Angeles, you may be entitled to bring a claim for damages against the responsible party.

School Playground Injuries and Liability

Recent news articles have highlighted the freedom various school districts around the world employ in supervising children.  A school in New Zealand has “no rules” at the playground, and students are allowed to climb trees and play contact games.  The school notes that this newfound freedom has actually led to a decrease in the number of injuries and campus bullying, compared to the alternative approach which seemingly places children in a “bubble.”

While this amount of freedom has been successful in limited experiments, it is not a blueprint for all school districts.  The majority of Los Angeles schools and school districts are teeming with children – to the extent that children often have staggering lunch periods so that the cafeteria can adequately seat them all.  Therefore, the option to simply let children roam free on the playground seems to be a dangerous situation in most schools.  Administrators and teachers who do not adequately supervise children on the playground are held accountable for this negligent supervision.  Schools and their staff have a duty to protect children from serious injuries, and the failure to act in this duty could result in claims against the school district.

The Extent of Playground Injuries

Playgrounds have been retrofitted over the past decade to prevent injuries as much as possible through safer playground equipment and softer padding.  However, injuries can occur in any circumstance, especially when dozens of children are using the same equipment.  Depending on the age of the children, fights may break out in the playground if students are not carefully supervised, or children may mishandle the equipment, leading to injuries.

Playground injuries can quickly turn severe, given the type of equipment, and could have lasting repercussions on the children.  A claim for damages may be brought against a school or school district if a child’s injury was caused by faulty playground equipment or due to a lack of supervision.  Teachers and administrators must act in the role of a parent while your child is at school, and especially while they are in the playground to keep your child safe.

To bring a claim for negligent supervision, a parent must be able to show that the supervisor did not properly monitor the child while in charge of supervising the child, thereby resulting in injury.  Negligence claims may be brought for the amount of medical expenses, in addition to emotional distress caused by the playground accident.

Los Angeles Playground Injury Attorney

If your child has been injured in a playground accident, do not hesitate to contact the attorneys of Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP.  Our attorneys have years of experience in assisting our clients with injuries caused by the negligence of school administrators and we will work tirelessly to ensure your family is compensated for the resulting damages.  Children need time to play and experience the wonders of life.  However, children should be adequately supervised while in a playground setting or terrible injuries can occur.  Contact our Los Angeles or Newport offices today for your initial free consultation.