In an effort to attract families with children, a number of fast-food establishments build “playhouses” inside their restaurants. As a result, parents often bring their kids to these restaurants to enjoy a meal and then burn off some pent-up energy. What is intended to be a good time sometimes ends in the unthinkable whenever a child is injured while playing in one of these playhouses or playgrounds.

Number One Cause of Falls

The leading cause of injuries in playhouses is falling. Playhouse equipment and playground equipment is normally built in such a way that children are naturally encouraged to climb on them, which could lead to falls from equipment that is slippery or not sturdy. To make matters worse, the surface beneath these structures sometimes does not contain adequate padding to cushion a fall, which means that children can suffer:

• broken bones
• head injuries
• concussions
• serious sprains

Design Problems

Chain establishments tend to have the same type of equipment installed in many of their locations. Injuries sometimes happen because of a defective design, in which case there is the potential for children in multiple locations to become injured. When corporations become aware of a problem at one location, they should take action to rectify this problem in all their stores; however, this doesn’t always happen. Replacing or repairing poorly designed playhouse equipment can cost thousands or even millions of dollars, so corporate executives might “overlook” the defects in order to increase their profit margins.

Determining Negligence

Parents of children who have been injured in a playhouse can do a few things in order to determine if an establishment is liable for negligence. Some things to consider when doing so are:

• Condition of the playhouse or playground equipment
• Nails
• Splinters
• Rust
• Whether or not the appropriate warning signs were in place
• Presence of cushioning underneath climbing obstacles
• Whether or not there have been product recalls by the manufacturer
• Occurrence of similar injuries at another corporate location where the same type of equipment is installed

Just because there is sufficient evidence to show negligence does not mean that parents of injured children will be able to recover their damages. Fast food restaurant chains often hire teams of lawyers to defend them against even minor claims. In fact, they will sometimes spend more on defending a claim than what it would cost to pay it in order to deter other people from filing similar lawsuits. As a result of these tactics, moms and dads may need to develop their own legal strategy to help deal with the situation.

Hire a Professional Injury Attorney

The thought of taking legal action against a large corporation is kind of terrifying. But if your child has been injured, then you own it to your child and to the children of your community to take action. The best way to do so is to hire a legal professional who understands how the courts operate. Schedule your free case evaluation today by calling 713-222-1222.

*Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net