In 2011, a 5-year old boy was severely injured at a public playground when he fell through a second floor opening around a fireman's pole in a playhouse. He fell more than seven feet and struck a bare concrete floor. We are thankful that he eventually recovered from his injuries. The person who designed and built the playground was accused of negligence. A lawsuit ensued, and eventually settled in favor of the boy.

The young boy's severe injuries occurred during a party at the playground for the children. The boy entered the second level of the playhouse. His mother heard a scream she recognized as her son's, entered the lower level of the playhouse, and found her son injured and in pain. The boy was bleeding from his mouth and complaining of leg pain. An ambulance was summoned and the boy was taken to a hospital.

We at The Warren Group were asked to analyze the fireman's pole, the playhouse and the concrete floor to determine if they complied with applicable minimum safety standards for public playgrounds, and to determine if a defect in the design or construction of the playhouse, the fireman's pole and the concrete floor was a cause of the boy's injuries. We discovered that the play equipment did not meet applicable minimum safety standards for public playgrounds, was defective, and was a cause of the boy's injuries.

This is the first in a multipart blog series examining the incident, the safety standards for public playgrounds and the technology available to make public playgrounds reasonably safe for children. We hope you find the information in our upcoming posts useful, and we encourage you to contact Dr. Warren if you encounter a case involving an injury at a public playground.