Risks of Injury for Children in the Summer

With children out of school, their risk of injury skyrockets. Concerned parents should take steps to minimize the risk of injury by first identifying the most likely causes of scrapes, scratches, and broken bones. An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. But if an injury occurs in spite of your best efforts, you should consider your options for receiving compensation by bringing a lawsuit against an at-fault party.

Toy Guns

According to CBS News, toy guns are the number one source of childhood injuries. Guns that shoot pellets can strike your child in the eye, causing serious injuries to the cornea and resulting in considerable pain. Depending on the size of the pellet and your child's health, pellets might cause injuries like contusions, sprains, strains, or broken bones.

To protect your children, you should read the safety instructions with your child. Also consider getting them a different toy to play with preferably one that does not cause such injuries, like a basketball or soccer ball. Another alternative is to buy guns that spray water a wonderful way to stay cool in the summer.

Pools of Water

There is no better way to beat the heat than to take a dip in the pool. Unfortunately, shallow pools pose a serious safety risk. Very young children and babies are at the greatest risk of drowning, especially when parents leave them unattended. Young babies, for example, can drown in as little as a couple inches of water.

Furthermore, brain death can occur after only 90 seconds of not breathing. Parents should avoid setting their children in a pool of water and then running inside to pick up the phone or check on lunch. In as little as a minute and a half, your baby can drown to death. Instead, always remember to take your child with you if you need to go inside for a second. You should also consider fencing off pools so that a child cannot wander into the water and drown, or empty your pools immediately after using them.

To prevent drowning deaths of older children, take them to the YMCA where they can learn how to swim. If you do not know how to swim, then take lessons along with your child, which can be a fun way to increase your own safety.

Trampolines

Children can suffer concussions, broken bones, and spinal cord injuries when playing on trampolines or in bounce houses. Many trampolines come with curtains so that your child cannot be thrown off the trampoline and onto the ground. However, the real risk of injury comes when children bounce in groups. Larger children might land on smaller children, causing injury.

Ideally, your children should bounce alone or with children of the same size. If your child wants to do acrobatic tricks, like back tucks, they should take classes before attempting them.

Toys that Break Apart

Toys pose a choking hazard if your child can remove small pieces and swallow them. Although manufacturers should know how to make safe toys by now, you would be surprised by the sheer number of toy recalls each year. Toys are a risk to children year-round, in the summer as much as any other season.

Camp Fires and Grills

Children suffer a large number of burn injuries. According to ABC News, fire-related injuries account for 9% of childhood accidental deaths. In the summer, children might come into contact with grills in the backyard or campfires.

To protect your children, you should fence off any grill so that children cannot make contact with it. However, remember not to grill inside, since that creates other hazards which can put your entire family at risk.

Traffic Injuries

Motor vehicle accidents are a problem year-round. However, during summer, your children might be in the car for long family trips. Unfortunately, traffic accidents and deaths are a leading cause of injuries for children.

To protect your family, you do not need to forgo the summer family trip. Instead, make sure that you use appropriate safety seats for young children so that they are not thrown around in a crash. Do not have young children sit in the front seat unless it is unavoidable. Also, remember to take your time. Many accidents are caused by driver error, so you can reduce the risk by following some common-sense safety tips:

Don't drive while tired. You will only increase the likelihood of an accident. Break up your trip into two days if necessary. Also avoid relying on stimulants like caffeine or amphetamines to pull you through a long trip, since they only mask the symptoms of fatigue.

Give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination. By not rushing, you can avoid speeding.
Put the phone away. You should not answer the phone or send a text message while driving. Instead, pull over.
Avoid arguments, if possible. Getting into a fight will only distract your attention.
Observe all traffic laws.

By following the above, you can reach your destination safe and sound.

Bicycle Injuries

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, almost 400,000 children visit the emergency room each year with bicycle-related injuries. Children can suffer arm, leg, or head injuries. The best protection is to have your child wear a safety helmet. Also, teach your child how to use hand signals and to walk the bicycle when crossing streets and intersections.