Swing Set Accident Attorney | Child Injury Lawsuit

Child swing set are a source of enjoyment and fond memories for many families.  They are a popular form of entertainment, whether they are used in a public playground, or in the backyard of a home.  However, a parent’s biggest fear can come to life when a child is injured while using one of these popular outdoor toys. Due to the fact that swinging in general can turn into a tragic event, and that they are most often used by younger children, playground equipment such as swing sets must adhere to strict safety and construction guidelines before they are introduced onto the market.  These guidelines do not only pertain to swing sets, but all playground equipment, such as monkey bars, slides, and see saws.  They require manufacturers of these equipment to ensure that their products are safe, both from a design and a manufacturing aspect. Sometimes, however, these manufacturers fail to uphold these necessary guidelines, causing serious injuries and even death to our precious children.  The issue is so serious in fact, that in November of 2012, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission unanimously voted for stricter safety laws pertaining to infant swing in an effort to curtail injuries to younger children.  The recent decision mandated for all swings to:

• Require a stronger, more explicit warning label to curtail slump-over deaths which recommends that consumers use a swing in the most reclined position until an infant is 4 months old and can hold up his or her head on their own
• Include stability test that forbids the swing from tipping over;
• Entail a test that avoids unintentional folding;
• Include checks on restraint systems, which are intended to prevent slippage and breakage of the restraints during use;
• Ensure that the swing remains flat regardless if it is in use or not
• For electrically-powered swings to be manufactured in a way as to stop battery leakage and overheating.;
• For swings with seats angles greater than 50 degrees to have shoulder strap restraints; and
• Require dynamic and static load systems to make sure that the child swing can handle specified loads without breaking.

Although the new safety standards pertain mostly to infant swings, similar requirements are required of swing sets commonly used by older children in playgrounds and backyards.  In fact, these swings often necessitate harsher safety standards, as they are bigger, heavier and with faster moving parts.

Types of Swing Set Accidents

Although all swing sets should be made of the with the highest quality products and utmost safety standards in mind, many manufacturers fail to uphold this standard.  Sometimes, a company will not even realize that their swing set is inherently dangerous until a child has suffered a major injury or accident.  Other times, a swing set may be inherently safe, but the product has either been poorly maintained or improperly constructed. Any number of accident can occur from poorly designed, maintained or installed swing sets such as:

• A child falling off the swing
• The swing collapses while in use
• The swing tips over, causing injuries to not only the users, but individuals around the swing set
• Protruding parts causing scratches, lacerations or deep cuts
• Defective design swing sets
• Poor materials used in the construction of the equipment
• Holding mechanism breaks while in use

Swing Set Injury Attorney

Manufacturers have a duty to consumers to make sure that swing sets are both inherently safe and made of stable materials when designing swing sets.  Likewise, property owners and outdoor parks, playgrounds and schools must ensure that our children are safe by making sure the swing sets are properly constructed and maintained.  If you, your child or a loved one has suffered injuries from an improperly designed, maintained or constructed swing set and would like to speak to a lawyer, contact our personal injury attorneys for more information