It’s that time of year again, when parents and adults look for the perfect Christmas gifts for the little ones in the family. Before buying toys, check toy recalls and reports of injuries involving popular toys.
According to recent research by a team at the Center for Injury and Research Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, between 1990 and 2011, more than three million children suffered toy-related injuries that were serious enough to require emergency treatment. More than 50 percent of these injuries involved children below the age of five.
In fact, the study also found that the rate of injuries involving children increased by a staggering 40 percent between 1990 and 2011. The researchers published their report in the journal Clinical Pediatrics.
Avoid Scooters This Holiday Season
Among the toys that powered the significant increase in toy-related injuries are foot-powered scooters. From 2000 to 2011, these scooters caused as many as 580,037 injuries. That works out to approximately one injury every 11 minutes.
Riding toys like foot-powered scooters, wagons and tricycles contributed to approximately 42 percent of all injuries in the 5- to-17 age group. In the below-five age group, they contributed to 28 percent of injuries.
Tips for Scooter Safety
If you do decide to buy a foot-powered scooter for your little one, keep the following tips in mind.
- Ensure that your child uses the scooter only on a dry, flat surface, and never uses it in traffic.
- Parents should specifically avoid buying these toys for young children, who may not have good balance.
- Insist on helmet use.
In fact, Dr. Gary Smith, the director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, gave these three tips for preventing injuries when riding scooters or other riding toys: “1. Wear a helmet. 2. Wear a helmet. 3. Wear a helmet.”
Compensation for Toy-related Injuries
Simply using a toy can present risk of an accident in some cases. But if the toy is defective in some way, it can greatly increase the risk. If your child suffered an injury involving a defective product, you may be able to recover compensation to cover medical bills and more.
Talk to an attorney about your and your child’s rights to collect damages. Call Bressman Law at 877-538-1116 to set up a free consultation. Or simply fill out the contact form on our website to schedule your appointment.