August 24, 2016 | By Greene Broillet & Wheeler
A large number of Americans suffer from new spinal cord injuries every year. In fact, 12,000 new cases are reported each year. Among those spinal cord injuries, many of them involve child patients. Whenever one of these cases involves a child, it is particularly unsettling due to the fact that many child spinal cord injuries can be prevented with appropriate adult supervision. This article will take a look at several things adults can do to help prevent a child spinal cord injury from happening:
Reduce slipping hazards that could cause problem children. Keep houses free of throw rugs that can create a slipping hazard for running children. Keep pathways and floors clear of debris and make sure stairways and common traffic areas are well-lit.
Guns cause many child spinal cord accidents, so it’s important to talk to children about guns. Make sure children learn about guns and they are instructed never to play with them. Advise children to leave areas where they know guns are visible or accessible. Teach children how to resolve conflict without weapons. Always keep guns locked up and unloaded. Finally, store bullets in a different location than the gun.
When playing sports, make sure that children are using appropriate safety gear for the sport. Ensure that children are playing sports — such as soccer or basketball — by the rules. Never let children play sports unsupervised.
At pools, do not allow diving when water is under 9 feet deep. Make sure pools are well and indicate where appropriate diving areas are. Have lifeguards present whenever children are swimming.
Finally, when it comes to car safety, always make sure children wear seatbelts in automobiles, and ensure that children are secured in appropriate safety devices for their ages. By following this and other pieces of advice in this article, California residents can prevent the majority of spinal cord injuries that might happen to their children, but there is still the risk of an injury caused by another person’s negligence. In such cases, those hurt in these accidents due to no fault of their own may have strong legal claims to seek financial compensation.