A 9-year-old girl has died in an Oklahoma playground accident. Now, Alyssa
Avila’s family wants the “X-Wave,” the playground equipment
she was playing on when the tragic incident happened banned.
Playground equipment accident happened last Thursday at Wyandotte elementary
school. The 4th grader and several children were on the X-wave when she
fell off the section of the equipment that was in the air. As Alyssa rose
to get back on the X-wave, the section that was now coming down struck
her head, knocking her to the ground. Medical workers that came to the
school say that she was in cardiac arrest when they arrived.
Per a preliminary investigation, the X-wave was functioning properly and
showed no signs of defect. The three-piece playground equipment had only
been in use at the school for two days when the tragic playground accident
happened. It has since been secured and the school superintendent says
it will never be used again. The state Medical Examiner’s Office
is still conducting its investigation.
Playground Equipment Accidents
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, at least 150,000
emergency room visits each year involve accidents on playground equipment.
A few causes of playground injuries:
- Defectively designed playground equipment
- Dangerous playground equipment
- Broken equipment
- Equipment that has cracked wood or rusted metal
- Equipment that have objects, such as bolts or hooks, sticking out of them
- Unsecured playground equipment
- Hazardous debris, such as broken glass, in a sandbox
- Poorly designed playground layout (for example, equipment that may be located too near each other that their proximity to one another causes an injury hazard)
According to a 2008 KidsHealth.Org article, the following playground equipment is considered unsafe:
- Swinging ropes
- Animal figure swings
- Glider swings
- Monkey bars
- Trampolines
- Exercise rings
Our playground equipment injury lawyers are familiar with the serious injuries
that can result because of defective playground products or dangerously
designed playgrounds. There may be a playground equipment manufacturer
or property owner who should be held liable for your child’s injuries or death.
Family of dead Wyandotte girl wants playground equipment involved in accident
banned, NewsOK, August 21, 2010
Ottawa County Girl Who Died In Playground Incident Suffered Head Injury,
NewsOn6, August 21, 2010
Playground Safety, KidsHealth
Related Web Resources:
National Playground Safety Institute
Injuries and Deaths Associated with Playground Equipment (PDF)
X-Wave, Xccent Play!
Contact our child injury law firm today.
