Skateboards in the Hands of Young Children Can Result in Serious Head Injuries

Skateboards are often considered toys, but they require a fair amount of skill and athleticism to ride safely. They can be a great source of enjoyment and can help children increase their agility, balance, coordination, and sense of self-esteem. It is important to remember that if children are not riding skateboards with safety in mind that they can suffer serious injuries, such as head injuries or even death.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that more than 300,000 skateboard accident victims are treated in hospital emergency rooms for skateboarding-related injuries. Many of these skateboard injuries are a result of the defective design or manufacturing of skateboards or inadequate warnings and instructions regarding the proper age and skill necessary to safely use skateboards. Two of every five injuries involve a borrowed skateboard where the rider may lack experience or not be adequately supervised by an adult. Almost half of all skateboard injuries involve children between the ages of 10-14. Over one-third of those who were injured were not wearing any protective equipment. Head injuries due to colliding with vehicles can result in fatal skateboarding accidents.

Parents and other adults supervising children riding skateboards can help reduce the likelihood of serious injury by limiting access to skateboards to children who are not old enough to appreciate the risk and engage in safe riding practices. A lot of pediatricians recommend that children should be at least 12 years old before they start to ride a skateboard. Skateboarding requires balance and coordination as well as knowledge regarding how to ride safely. It also requires the maturity and experience to recognize potential road hazards.

Many skateboard manufacturers not only disregard the risk associated with younger children riding skateboards but actually market their product to small children with peewee product lines. They also are hosting exhibitions involving kids as young as five years old demonstrating use of their products. Parents are often lulled into a false sense of security from such deceptive marketing practices and permit their children to ride skateboards before they are physically ready to do so. This has resulted in doctors seeing more young kids showing up in emergency rooms with head injuries.

Parents can reduce the inherent risk of injury associated with skateboard use by being vigilant about purchasing safety equipment including helmets, wrist guards, knee protection and elbow pads. There are hundreds of styles of boards, and the most popular boards are not necessarily the safest. It is a good idea to talk with the sales professional at the store and make sure that your child is getting a board designed specifically for his or her age and skill level. Adult supervision and bright clothing can also reduce the risk of a child riding a skateboard colliding with a car, pickup truck or SUV.

If your child is injured in a skateboarding accident, it is important to get all the details of how it happened and who was involved. If your child needs medical attention, you should keep all medical records. There can be any number of parties who may be responsible for a serious skateboard accident including the following:

• The company that manufactured or distributed the skateboard
• A driver of a motor vehicle who collides with a skateboard rider
• An adult who should be supervising the children or who is entrusted with a child who is too young with a skateboard

Our firm has been helping families in Atlanta and throughout Georgia for over a quarter of a century.  If your child has suffered serious injury in a Georgia skateboard accident, your child may be entitled to compensation for his or her injuries. Our experienced Georgia skateboard accident injury attorneys zealously pursue the best possible outcome for our clients and are committed to developing a reputation as the top Atlanta personal injury attorneys in Georgia. The Georgia personal injury lawyers of Montlick and Associates are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.