In Southern California, the family of Jacob Buckett has reached a $20 million personal injury settlement over injuries the boy sustained during a 2005 fall accident at a Temecula Burger King playground. Their Riverside County injuries to minor lawsuit contends that Jacob, who was 8 at the time, suffered a traumatic brain injury after he fell from cross bars and struck his head on the tile floor. His TBI has impaired his motor functions, the left side of his body, his speech skills, and his reasoning abilities. The family's Riverside County, California personal injury attorney says that the restaurant was aware that there were safety issues with the playground equipment because another boy broke his arm on the equipment three years prior.
The $20 million will support Jacob's healthcare needs for the rest of his life. Several companies were named as defendants in the traumatic brain injury lawsuit, including playground distributor Delta Marketing Inc. and the Burger King's franchise owner, located in Rancho Santa Margarita.
Playground Accidents
According to the National Safety Council, over 200,000 American kids end up in US emergency rooms each year because of playground injuries. About 15 of these case result in child deaths.
The VHI Healthcare Web site says that falls are the number one cause of playground injuries. Fall accidents can turn playtime into an excruciatingly painful experience, with broken bones and head injuries, such as concussions and traumatic brain injuries, being just some of the injuries that can occur when a kid falls from the top of a slide or a jungle gym and lands on the concrete or asphalt.
While kids do fall on their own, there are playground accidents that occur because the playground equipment they were playing on was defective or poorly designed. If your son or daughter got hurt while playing in a playground and you think that an equipment manufacturer or the premise owner may be partially to blame, it is important that you speak with an experienced California products liability attorney as soon as possible.
Other causes of playground injuries that can be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit:
• Improper playground surfacing
• Poorly maintained playground equipment
• Inadequate supervision on the playground
• Failure to inform of possible hazards
• Playground equipment that is too tall or too short for the designated age group
$20 million settlement in playground injury, PE.com, March 27, 2009
Playground Safety, VHI Healthcare, March 27, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Playground Safety, KidsHealth.org
Our Orange County, California products liability lawyers would like to talk to you about your personal injury case. Howard Law, LLP is located in Anaheim and we represent adults and children injured in accidents throughout Southern California.
