Potential Home Accident Hazards at Child Birthday Parties

Children’s birthday parties have become much more extravagant than they used to be. Simple games like “pin the tail on the donkey” don’t generate as much excitement as a pool party or jumping in a bounce house. While these activities can create a lot of fun and memories, they can also cause serious physical harm in the event of an accident.

Parents should be aware of potential home accident hazards before they drop their kids off at the next birthday party in Aurora. And they should also know what steps to take should their child end up suffering injuries.

Equipment at a Children’s Birthday Party That Could Injure: Trampolines

Even with safety netting around a trampoline, the potential for injuries is significant. It can lead to broken bones and even spinal cord injuries. A severe head injury could cause brain damage, even death. Many of the accidents that occur on trampolines are caused by doing flips, sometimes even from elevated surfaces onto the trampoline. Others are caused by collisions or falling off the trampoline.

Games that Could Injure at a Birthday Party: Bounce Houses, Inflatables

Inflatables are becoming more and more popular. Slides, obstacle courses and bounce houses can provide hours of fun and help the kids get out some of that energy. But despite their plush, airy material, children are still at risk for injury.

Some of the common injuries that can happen in a bounce house include:

• fractures;
• sprains;
• strains; and
• concussions.

These occur when children fall, sometimes on top of each other and other times off the inflatable. Injuries can also happen when they collide with one another or perform a stunt such as a somersault that injures the neck.

Children’s Birthday Party Dangers: Swimming Pools

A pool party can be a lot of fun. But when there are several children in and around the pool, there is always the potential for something to go wrong. A child who doesn’t know how to swim may fall in and drown, horseplay could turn rough, a child may dive into the pool and strike his or her head, and a child may be seriously injured by slipping on the wet surface around the pool.

Another hazard are swimming pools with diving boards. If they aren’t properly supervised and more than one child uses it, a collision could cause injury.

Liability When a Child Is Seriously Injured at a Birthday Party

In most cases the property owner will be liable for any injuries that occur, which could be covered by a homeowner’s insurance policy. But there may be exclusions that won’t provide coverage, so it’s important to consider that possibility.

And it may not matter if the homeowner owned or rented the equipment; the responsibility is likely to rest with the property owners if they don’t take reasonable precautions to prevent injury like ensuring there are enough adults to supervise the children.

Parents whose child was injured in a home accident at a friend’s birthday party may consult a lawyer for help pursuing an insurance claim or filing a lawsuit. Keep in mind that it will be necessary to prove the homeowner was negligent.

If a child was careless despite the homeowner’s best efforts to supervise and keep everybody safe, such as a teenager who performs a stunt despite the homeowner’s objections, this could possibly reduce the homeowner’s liability.

Don’t hesitate to call D.J. Banovitz for legal help with your case. Set up your consultation by calling 303-300-5060 or fill out our online contact form to get started today.