School injuries can be minor, but they can also be major. Children are masters of getting into some kind of trouble, and sometimes that trouble winds up having catastrophic consequences. As a parent or guardian, you should feel safe sending your child to school—school is a place of learning, of developing minds. But that doesn’t mean school is safer than anywhere else—even if we think it’s supposed to be.
Certainly, there are safety precautions that schools must take and put into place to try to stop injuries and accidents. But accidents happen. Children are curious, and not aware of the surrounding dangers—otherwise, they’d not be as curious.
So, what are the most common types of accidents at school?
Accidents on the Playground
The playground is a tough place. It’s where children can run around, mostly free of inhibitions, and that sadly includes being unaware of their own safety. Children play rough, and usually it doesn’t matter the equipment they have to play on, they’ll get hurt in some way.
An example: If your son is climbing in a jungle gym, and slips, he could land wrong and break his arm. The school will argue that children must play and that there are dangers that cannot be avoided, especially when equipment that’s meant to climb on is provided for children. The school will also state that no supervision of the child could have prevented this.
These points are valid—children need to have fun, but we also want them to be safe. The climbing frame shouldn’t be past a certain height, and the surface beneath the frame should be a cushion. Modern surfaces include rubber, which cushions the fall of the child, and bark was used because it had a similar effect.
So, if your son breaks his arm, it suggests that the frame was too tall and the surface beneath it did not cushion his fall enough. This means you could argue that your child did not have proper accident prevention precautions provided to them.
Your child may even slip and fall on the school premises. If your child is injured during a slip and fall, it may be because the school did not take adequate warning measures to warn of the slippery surface—for adults, a “wet floor” sign is easiest, but for a child? Not every child can read, or cares to look where they’re going—so something that physically blocks their path from the wet area may be a better fit.
Furthermore, if your child is cut or otherwise injured in an area that should be safe—like a field where they can play, then it is likely you can argue that the school did not take care of the field.
Reach out to a lawyer to discuss your child’s accident at school—you may have a case. The above examples are just some accidents that may happen at school.