New York City Data Regarding Playground Injuries

While playgrounds are commonplace throughout New York, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that injuries at these locations are common. In fact, between 1990 and 2000, 147 children who were younger than 15 years old died due to injuries sustained at a playground.

About 56 percent of fatal playground injuries occurred due to strangulation. Another 20 percent of fatalities stem from falls onto the playground’s surface. Some common severe nonfatal injures injuries include concussions, amputations, fractures and internal injuries. These types make up approximately 45 percent of all playground injuries.

Data from 2001 suggests that while all children are at some risk of injury, certain groups may be more likely to suffer harm while using playgrounds. For example, young girls were more likely to become injured than young boys were. In addition, children from the ages of 5 to 9 were taken to emergency rooms after suffering a playground injury more often than any other age group.

While a majority of these types of accidents occur in public parks, many children are injured at home playgrounds. The cost of treating such injuries can be large. In 1995, the Office of Technology found that treatment for playground-related injuries in the same age group cost $1.2 billion. That cumulative figure suggests that the cost of treating an individual case may be prohibitive. However, such expenses may be covered by a personal injury lawsuit. If the child was injured due to the negligence of another party, that party may be liable for damages and might be named as a defendant in a civil action.

Source: CDC, “Playground Injuries: Fact Sheet“, December 04, 2014