Children are notoriously vulnerable to many types of injury, which is why there are special rules in place to protect their safety. When adults are negligent, the safety of children can be put at risk, making it more likely for them to suffer potentially severe injuries. Here are five of the biggest causes of injury to children resulting from other people’s negligence:

  1. Negligent supervision
    • When people leave their children in the care of others, such as in schools or daycares, that comes with the expectation that their children will be adequately supervised. This means ensuring they are kept out of harm’s way, ensuring they receive food and water if necessary, and preventing them from fighting or engaging in other risky behavior. When babysitters, teachers, counselors, and others fail to give adequate supervision to children, it makes it more likely they will suffer preventable injuries.
  2. Defective toys
    • All products are meant to be manufactured to a certain standard to minimize the risk of accidents when using the product, and this is doubly true for children’s toys. Unfortunately, some toys can be defective, with parts that can break off and become choking hazards or sources of other injuries, while others may be made with materials that can be toxic if ingested. No matter the reason, when a toy is made with a serious defect, it places children at risk of harm.
  3. Motor vehicle accidents
    • Children are disproportionately likely to suffer serious injuries in motor vehicle accidents of all types, due to their smaller size. School bus accidents, in particular, are a serious potential source of injuries to children, when children may be running around and not safely secured in a seat during an accident. This increases the risk of serious harm due to muscle strain, broken bones, and other similar injuries.
  4. Drowning accidents
    • Children love to swim, whether it is at a swimming pool or at the beach, but they typically cannot handle anything much deeper than the shallow end of a pool. Even then, children may need flotation devices to help them stay afloat, and they should always have a lifeguard or other supervision on duty to protect them. Otherwise, they are at a high risk of drowning, which can cause severe harm even when it is not life threatening.
  5. Burn injuries
    • Children do not instinctively know they should not play with fire or hot objects like electric stoves. This means that children who are allowed to get their hands on these dangerous objects can easily sustain burn injuries. While many burns can be treated with simple first aid, others may require emergency medical attention, and can cause disfigurement and other lifelong problems.

 

If you have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you should contact the Tennessee personal injury lawyers at the Keith Williams Law Group. With convenient offices located in Nashville and Lebanon, our lawyers will work with you to create a litigation strategy that protects your legal rights and serves your personal needs. For more information or a free consultation, please contact us at 615-444-2900 or visit our contact page.