Every summer, children across the nation attend day camps and summer camps. Different camps have different themes and overall philosophies, and parents choose summer camps based on their children’s particular needs or wishes. Unfortunately, many parents do not fully grasp the inherent dangers of camps and do not take the proper precautions to ensure that their chosen camps strongly value the safety of their participants. Parents should be aware of the most common injuries and complications from summer camps and should talk to children and camp staff to ensure their children’s safety.
The most common complications faced by campers include:
- Illness. Illnesses at camp are twice as likely as injuries. Because of the close quarters and contact between campers, colds, flu, and other infectious diseases can spread quickly. Parents should keep sick children home from day camps, and never send a sick child away for the summer until recovered from an illness. Parents should talk to camp leaders to ensure that the camp is well prepared to control the spread of illness, and should talk to children about proper hygiene to control the spread of germs.
- Sprains and Strains. Almost one-third of camp injuries are caused by trips, slips, and falls. Many times these injuries occur because of the use of improper footwear in outdoor environments. Be sure that your child’s camp has a closed-toed shoe footwear policy during active periods.
- Lack of Protective Gear. Even for activities that require safety equipment not all camp staff will require their campers to use it. Half of all injuries sustained during activities that require safety equipment are caused because campers or staff were not properly using safety equipment. A lack of protective gear can cause serious head, back, spine, and neck injuries.
If your loved one has faced illness or injury due to the negligence of summer camp staff, contact the Iowa personal injury lawyers of LaMarca Law Group, P.C. at 877-327-2600.