Just what every parent wants to hear:
The horrific incidents of two children having their fingers amputated after going down steel slides and the resulting recall of those slides is being reported by Good Housekeeping. The recall has been issued by the slide manufacturer, Playworld, as a result of at least 13 reported incidents of children getting cut from the defective slides.
According to information released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there are approximately 1,300 slides being recalled. The slides were manufactured between 2000 through 2016 and sold to schools, municipalities, and parks across the country. These slides range in price from $1,500 to $4,000.
The problem with the slides appears to be that the stainless-steel equipment can develop a crack between the slide bed and sidewall weld. This crack can be wide enough for a child’s fingers to become caught in as they are sliding down. This is what happened to the two children whose fingers were amputated.
School officials and other municipal administrators are urged to not allow children to use the slides. The company is issuing free slide replacements and are also sending out temporary barriers to those who request them which will keep children off the slides.
Unfortunately, the recalled products do not have any identifying marks to indicate to parents whether or not the slide their child is going to use is part of the recall.
Parents are urged to carefully inspect any slides their child is going to use, looking for any cracks or holes in the slide bed. It is critical to note that cracks may not be easily seen and a visual inspection does not guarantee that the equipment is safe.
Personal injury attorney Chad McCoy commented, “Incidents like these where children are injured by playground equipment serve as stark reminder of past dangers that have been associated with these products.”
Data collected by the CPSC found that there are more than 200,000 children who are injured in playgrounds each year, often from broken or defective playground equipment.
Some of the more common injuries suffered by children from these incidents include amputations, broken or fractured bones, concussions, dislocations, and internal injuries.
Tragically, not only have children suffered serious injuries from defective slides and other equipment, but there have also been children killed when their clothes or a part of their body has gotten caught in holes, gaps, or protrusions in the slides.
Many children have also been seriously burned from using bare metal slides that become extremely hot from sun exposure. Other exposed metal equipment, such as swings or see-saws, can also cause serious burns.
This is why it is so important to make sure to carefully check any equipment that your child is going to play on. It is also important to make sure that your child is dressed appropriately, wearing a shirt and pants, to protect from cuts and burns. Also make sure that there is nothing dangling from the clothing which could get caught in the equipment.
