New York City Paid Out Millions to Settle Playground Injury Cases

 New York City has settled close to $20 million in lawsuits, which resulted from playground injuries, the New York Daily News reports. The city paid out 566 settlements in city playground-related personal injury claims, according to records obtained by the Daily News. Shoddy inspections and lack of repairs were the main issues that apparently led to these injuries.

Serious Injuries Reported
Hundreds of children suffered serious injuries because playground equipment in New York City’s parks were in a state of disrepair. The Daily News gives the example of a 6-year-old girl whose right middle finger was lopped off by a piece of sharp metal protruding from the top of the slide in Howard Playground in East New York. Surgeons were unable to reattach the girl’s finger.
After they sued, the girl’s family was awarded $750,000, the largest settlement by the Parks Department in the past five years. The family alleged in the lawsuit that the city was aware of the problem with the slide and made multiple attempts at repairing it, but didn’t do it right.
In another case, a boy fell off the monkey bars at Lindower Park in Brooklyn and landed on worn-out padding. The boy suffered a serious elbow fracture and the city settled that case for $350,000. The city’s Parks Department oversees and maintains about 1,000 playgrounds citywide. In the past decade, the number of playground-related personal injury claims against the city has risen by 53 percent, officials said.
Children in Danger
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year nationwide, emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries. About 45 percent of playground injuries are severe such as fractures, concussions, dislocations, amputations and internal injuries. Also, about 75 percent of nonfatal injuries related to playground equipment occur on public playgrounds. A number of these injuries occur at schools and daycare centers as well.
Compensation for Injured Victims
If your child has been injured in a playground-related incident, you may be able to seek compensation on behalf of him or her for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
If your child has suffered injuries due to someone else’s negligence, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys with the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit our website: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: New York Daily News