Playground Safety Expert Witnesses

Since the 1970's, the number of playground related deaths has remained relatively constant but have significantly decreased in specific categories like impacts by swings. Conversely, injury rates have increased steadily from about 55,000 in 1973 to over 240,000 in 1994. Since 1994, injury rates have decreased only slightly, to about 200,000/year. The U.S. CPSC, along with the playground industry has developed standards for design, installation, protective surfacing, supervision, inspection, accessibility, etc., for both private and public playgrounds. To determine the validity of a playground liability claim, industry standards should be addressed, and design features should be examined and compared against claimed injuries.