Summertime Safety Tips for Parents

For parents, there are two ways to look at the summertime. You can look forward to the many memories that you are going to create with your children, or you can look at the time with a sense of worry. While there are many fun activities for you and your children to do, there are also many opportunities for your children to become injured in an accident.

Fortunately, there are some actions that you can take to protect your children this summer. Here are some of the personal injury accidents that children commonly experience during the summer, and how you can help prevent them from happening.

Pool and water safety

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that child drownings are still the leading cause of unintentional deaths for children between the ages of one and four. Even though the CPSC report noted the pandemic allowed parents to spend more time with their children, it also contributed to a lack of swimming lessons. Because children were unable to learn how to swim and practice water safety skills, this limited experience can increase the chances of a drowning accident.

What can I do to protect my child from a pool accident?

Some of the actions that you can take to protect your child from a pool or drowning accident include:

• Never leaving your child unattended around a pool. Children should always be supervised near a pool, whether they are planning to swim or not. It is very easy for a toddler to slip and fall into a pool.
• Installing additional barriers around the pool. If you own a pool at your home, you can install pool covers or latches that prevent children from entering your pool.
• Learning how to perform CPR. CPR is a great method that can help save the lives of children and adults who are at risk of drowning.
• Keeping children away from pool drains and other openings. One of the ways that children can die from a pool accident is becoming trapped around drains or pipes. To prevent your child from becoming trapped around an opening, you can install drain covers that comply with the federal safety standards.

Bike and walking safety

Another common summertime accident that injures children are bicycle and walking accidents. Stanford Children’s Health reports that there are 254,000 children who are injured and 100 children who are killed from bike-related accidents. Even though motorists should be aware of the presence of children, many drivers fail to notice until it is too late.

How can I protect my child from a bike accident?

Some of the actions that you can take to protect your child from a bike accident include:

• Making sure your child has a properly-fitted helmet. A helmet can prevent your child from suffering from a traumatic brain injury and serious head trauma.
• Teaching your children how to use hand signals when riding. When riding with your child, make sure that he or she obeys the rules of the road and knows the different hand signals to use.
• Wearing neon or bright clothing. One way to help make your child more visible is having them wear more noticeable clothing. Neon or bright colors can help make other drivers more aware of your child’s presence.
• Making sure your children ride on the sidewalk or designated trails. When riding together as a family, you want to make sure that your child is riding as far away from the traffic as possible. You also want to make sure that your child is also riding in the same direction as the traffic and riding on the right-hand side.

Heat and sports safety

Last but not least is one of the most common accidents that children can seriously get hurt from during the summer: playing outside in the heat. Sports like basketball, soccer, and football all require strenuous physical activity. Children also forget to stay hydrated while playing these sports. When children exert energy in hot environments without taking hydration breaks to cool down, it is hard on the body. This increases the chances of suffering from heat-related illnesses like a heat stroke, heat cramp, or dehydration.

How can I prevent my child from suffering from heat exhaustion?

To reduce the risk of your child suffering from a heat-related illness, some of the actions that you can take involve:

• Drinking large amounts of water throughout the day. Staying hydrated will cool your child’s body down and prevent your child from becoming thirsty.
• Taking consistent breaks while playing. It is important to remind your child to take necessary breaks to cool down.
• Wearing light or loose clothing. Wearing constricted clothing while it is humid can make your child uncomfortable.
• Playing in cool areas. If it is possible, try to play a sport in areas that provide additional shade.

What if another person causes harm to my child?

Even when you practice your due diligence, the reckless actions of other parties can cause serious harm to your child. There are several parties who you can hold liable for your child’s accident. A pool owner who should have provided a lifeguard to watch your child can be liable if your child is injured at a pool. A reckless driver can be held liable for your child’s injuries in a bike accident. Even your child’s sports coach can be liable for your child’s heat-related accident if he or she did not stop for adequate breaks.

When your child is hurt, the Charlotte personal injury lawyers at Price, Petho & Associates want to help. Put our decades of experience to work for your child. Call 704-372-2160, or submit our contact form to schedule your free consultation. We represent families in Charlotte, Rutherfordton, and Rockingham.