According to the most recent census figures, about 40 million children were enrolled in nursery school, kindergarten and grade school in 2014. Such a large number of parents would not be comfortable sending their children off every day if they did not expect schools to offer a high degree of safety.

No Los Angeles injury lawyer at our firm wants parents to believe that going to school presents an imminent danger for their children. However, recognition of common school hazards can help them keep their children safer.

Common School Items Pose Risks for Children

Most individuals recognize that school sports activities typically increase the risk of injuries to children. Yet, a September 2015 report published by HealthGrove, a health news and information website, drew on Consumer Product Safety Commission information to identify common school items that caused a significant number of injuries to children from 1997 to 2014. The top five items are as follows:

• Playground equipment (33,368 injuries)
• Carpets, rugs and other flooring: (15,122 injuries)
• Stairs (13,599 injuries)
• Furniture, excluding beds and chairs (11,704 injuries)
• Doors, excluding garage doors (10,704 injuries)

Parents can certainly help reduce the likelihood of injuries to their children. Every child should learn to heed parental instructions to walk rather than run, look in front of them while walking and hold on to railings in stairwells. Still, admonitions alone cannot ensure their children's safety.

Identifying Liability for Injuries Requires a Look at the Big Picture

It is not reasonable to expect immature and active children to adopt safety-first attitudes. Granted, most teachers regularly try to monitor their students, but they cannot reasonably be expected to individually monitor the activities of every child in the class. That said, school administrations might be accountable when they decide that one adult should have responsibility for a classroom full of young children. Similarly, schools that fail to tack down carpeting or clean wet floors promptly can be liable for dangerous premises that cause injuries to children.

Just as important, the design of common classroom furniture can pose unsafe conditions. Even a cabinet with a square (rather than rounded) corner can cause serious injuries. Of course, improperly-designed playground equipment creates countless hazards. An exposed metal screw can cause serious injuries that are even worse if the screw is rusty. Metal slides may be the most fun for children, but they can burn tender skin on a hot day.

Determining why children sustained injuries in school is not always an easy matter. This is why personal injury attorneys may enlist the aid of skilled investigative resources. Investigators look first into the apparent causes of injury, but they also delve into historical information that can reveal known dangers that were never addressed.

Not all injuries to school children are inevitable. It costs nothing to discuss child injury events with knowledgeable attorneys who can assess any available legal options. Call us at (844) 478-3626 / (844) 4RUDMAN, at our Los Angeles office at (213) 375-3777 or at our Studio City office (818) 769-6969.