■ 03 September 2010 | 12:28 PM
Overprotecting the kids
File this story under the general heading of Dopey Things That Happen When People Reach For A Lawyer Instead Of A Band-Aid.
Seems school officials in Cabell County, West Virginia announced recently that they would dismantle swing sets on playgrounds, because little darlings were falling down and their parents were lawyering up.
Fortunately, the school district quickly reversed itself when it was pointed out that the state requires swings on playgrounds. (Here's a prediction: state legislators will repeal that regulation, under pressure from over-protective parents.)
Apparently swingsets require soft "fall protection zones" so children will not risk a skinned knee or bump on the head when they fall.
Geez, who knew?
If the landing zone isn't cushy enough, the resulting legal cases can cost a bundle. According to news reports, Cabell County officials settled one - in which a kid broke a bone after trying to "fly like Superman" - for 20 grand.
Here's a thought: School officials should grow a backbone and fight these ridiculous cases instead of settling them.
Frankly, if I were an educator I'd worry more about a generation of softies growing up without scabs on their knees than a couple of lawsuits filed by litigious parents.
COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
Whether it's walking out in front...
...of a big kid on the swing, or taking a mortgage for twice what my home is worth, it's somebody else's fault...and I have a lawyer to prove it.
At appogee: release, tuck and roll!
Maybe they we should have the school board require helmets with every cell phone in use, since none of them are looking where they are going while texting!
Do swingsets even get any use by our video gamming generation?
RFight the law suits
The only way to stop these types of suits is to make it expensive for the the lawyers to take on. These lawyers that take these cases have to front the expenses and get nothing unless they win. It might cost more in the short run but will save money down the road as lawyers only take on serious cases. As for costs,m under the Cuncinellie model, in house lawyers are free and the only out of pocket costs are court costs..
Force each parent to buy a "law-suit"
Anyone who watches the show "Mythbusters" has seen that big red padded suit they wear when they are going to do something that might hurt them. The Legislature should mandate that each parent purchase one for their child, and if the child is injured and not wearing the suit, the property owner cannot be sued, but the parents cited for child endangerment. (You do realize I jest here, but it would curb lawsuits)
Break out the bubble wrap
I forsee a whole new clothing line here. All seriousness aside, though, this goes along with the idea of eliminating competitive sports, (it damages their little egos if they don't win, creates delusions of granduer(SP?) if they do). I say, after having survived 77 years in this world, that if you just leave them alone, they will come up with more fun and games, (legal ones, too), and excercise than adults can ever think up.
A band aid huh!
So please with all your worldly knowledge, tell us how a band aid will be the proper first aid for a severed finger.
I missed that part in the article where a finger got severed
Silly me. I thought that the band aid was a metaphor.
Amen!
Amen! And maybe parents should take a chill pill too. Use and band-aid, not a lawyer. Yes, I know that they may wince at the doctor bill, but it's less than they lawyer's bill, so chill out!
Check your facts
Playgrounds can be more than just a skinned Knee. They can cause death! How about checking your facts first Kerry. ABC did a whole show on the dangers of playgrounds. Besides serious crippling injuries they can kill. More people should be aware of the dangers and it would seem that you would be the first to make this awareness possible through your resources at the pilot. You so worried about frivolous lawsuits go after Ken Cuccelli.
Maybe we have dumber kids -
Maybe we have dumber kids these days. I'm just guessing.
When I was growing up we didn't have soft landing zones under swing sets, monkey bars or any of the other things we could jump up, grab, pull ourselves up on and crawl from one end of, to the other end. The playgrounds were open long after the school day had ended, and anyone who wanted to play there, at their own peril, did. I can count the number of serious accidents I ever heard of back then on one hand - actually, on one finger; ONE. A girl in my 5th grade glass fell off a piece of playground equipment one afternoon, after school hours, and broke her leg. IT WAS COOL AT ALL! She got to come to school with a cast on for a month or so, leave early to get to the lunch room and she got to leave school early at the end of the day. We all wished it had been us instead of her.
We weren't softies back in the day, and we most certainly must have been more aware than these kids coming up today. Probably because we played outdoors more and practiced it for long, long hours every day. Kids probably don't know a lot about 'playing' and how to do it these days - unless it involves a chair and keyboard and screen.
As 'Denny