Common Causes of Playground Injuries
For years, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and other safety watchdog groups have identified the most common safety hazards to avoid when building, updating, and repairing playgrounds. However, as any Illinois playground injury attorney can explain, many municipalities still own and operate hazardous playground facilities. Some problems to look for include: hard surfaces such as concrete and dirt under climbing equipment, wooden structures that have begun to deteriorate, elevated platforms without guard rails or safety bars, and improperly sized openings posing a risk of head entrapment.
Chicago Playground Injury Lawyers-Finding Those Responsible for Unsafe Playgrounds
More than 200,000 children are sent to the emergency room each year because of playground injuries. While most of these injuries involve fractured and broken bones, some injuries can be much more severe, for example concussions, internal injuries, and death. Because the vast majority of these injuries occur on public property, often the only way to motivate the government to address the underlying problems is to bring a playground injury lawsuit with the help of an Illinois playground injury lawyer.
Playground injury lawsuits often involve overlapping issues of products liability, premises liability, negligence, and sovereign immunity. A Plaintiff, with the help of a Chicago playground injury lawyer, may need to show that the equipment manufacturer sold a defective product, that the playground owner violated a duty of care when building or maintaining the playground, and/or that the property owner failed to adequately inspect the equipment. Additional work may be necessary to hold the city, county, or state government responsible for its own failings.
Determining Fair and Just Compensation
Parents whose children have been injured or killed by unsafe playground equipment bear the financial and emotional burden for the playground owner’s negligent behavior. For these parents, a playground injury lawsuit may be the only way to receive compensation and shift some of that burden to those truly responsible. Illinois playground injury lawyers can ensure that this compensation is calculated fairly and justly. It may include: medical expenses, emotional and physical pain and suffering, and possibly punitive damages if there has been repeated or particularly egregious misconduct on the part of the playground owner.
Contact the Chicago Playground Injury Attorneys at Dolan Law Offices
The Illinois playground injury lawyers at Dolan Law Offices represent victims of playground injuries throughout Illinois and the greater Chicagoland area, including Aurora, Addison, Chicago Heights, Joliet, Hillsdale, Plainfield, Rolling Meadows, Des Plaines, Schaumburg, Palatine, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Hanover Park, Streamwood, Prospect Heights, Wheeling, Wheaton, Waukegan, Inverness, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Elgin, Bartlett, Itasca, Bloomingdale, Wooddale, Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, McHenry County, and Will County.
If your child has been injured because of an unsafe playground, contact the Chicago playground injury lawyers at Dolan Law Offices online or at 312-676-7600.
