Accidents in the playground – not always fun and games

A number of young children have recently suffered serious injuries including broken bones, cuts and burns on playground equipment such as slides and swings.

In October 2022, a five-year-old girl's hand became stuck in a carousel at a playground which led to two of her fingertips being severed.¹ Previously, in August 2022 a three-year-old child broke her leg riding down a tube slide after another four-year-old child had broken both legs on the same slide in April 2022.²

Experts have argued that the injuries being suffered by children on playground equipment are more severe and are occurring more frequently than we should expect.³

These incidents have not only led to calls for safety standards for playground equipment to be reviewed,⁴ but may also lead to claims for compensation.