What Parents Should Know About Slips, Trips, and Falls

Children often come home with mysterious bumps, scrapes, or bruises, and most parents are used to seeing a skinned knee or minor cut or scratch from time to time. However, what happens when your child comes home with an injury that lands you in the doctor’s office or emergency room, or—even worse—you get the dreaded call that your child has been seriously hurt in a slip, trip, or fall?   

Slips, Trips, and Falls Can Be Dangerous for Kids

Falls account for a huge number of injuries reported in Southern California every year, and children are often the victims. The result of these falls can include a number of very serious injuries, such as:

• Concussions and other head or brain injuries
• Broken bones, especially in the hands, wrists, forearms, feet, and legs
• Sprains, joint injuries, and torn connective tissues

Some serious injuries may not be immediately apparent, and children sometimes have trouble communicating symptoms. If you suspect your child has sustained a fall, it’s worth taking the time to visit the hospital or doctor’s office as soon as possible, for safety’s sake.

How to Avoid a Slip and Fall

• Secure any rugs in your home with anti-skid tape, and use non-slip runners on stairs.
• Clean up slippery spots and spills immediately.
• Watch for and repair any loose flooring, peeling carpet, uneven planks, or other issues that could cause a fall.
• Keep large objects and other obstacles out of walkways and off stairways.
• Don’t ignore lighting in high-traffic areas of your home—it’s much easier for a child to avoid a fall if he or she can see any potential problems or obstacles.
• Be mindful of electrical cords and secure or hide any cords in areas where children may be walking.
• Use anti-slip mats in the bathroom and anti-slip tape in showers and bathtubs.
• Block access to areas that may present a risk for young children, such as garages, workshops, and stairways.
• Pad sharp edges to help your child avoid serious injury if he or she does fall.
• Take appropriate safety precautions if you own a swimming pool, trampoline, or other recreational features that your child and his or her friends use.
• Help your child learn to recognize slippery or dangerous conditions, and talk about why it’s important to slow down and walk carefully around unsafe areas.

When Children Are Seriously Injured Due to a Property Owner’s Carelessness

While some children suffer falls resulting from their own energetic behavior or clumsiness, some falls are the result of carelessness on the part of a property owner. Unsafe conditions around swimming pools, walkways that haven’t been properly maintained, and other safety issues can contribute to serious injuries in children, but many of those falls may have been prevented had the property owner acted responsibly. Fortunately, when preventable falls happen, parents can hold careless property owners financially responsible for the preventable injuries their children have sustained.

A Legal Team on Your Family’s Side

Negotiating an insurance claim on behalf of your child isn’t an easy task, but there is legal help available for parents who need an ally in the struggle to get the compensation they need to care for their children’s injuries. If you have concerns about the circumstances of your child’s fall, simply call or email our experienced legal team today for more free and confidential information about your family’s legal rights after an injury.