Each year in the United States over 200,000 children are treated in Emergency Rooms for injuries they sustained while playing at a playground. While some of these injuries could be prevented with proper adult supervision, many of them are because of the safety of the playground itself. Before you let your child play on a playground, you should make sure that it is a safe and secure spot.

Adult Supervision

The first and foremost way to prevent your child from being injured on a playground is to properly monitor them at all times. Even if playground equipment is completely safe, children can still be injured by using the equipment in an improper manner or by playing with other children in a way that is unsafe. As such, it is imperative that you monitor your child’s actions whenever they are playing on a playground.

• Playground Surface Design
• Playground Slide
• Playground Swing
• Playground Merry-Go-Round

The Playground Surface

When children are running around and playing together, it is inevitable that slips and falls will occur, which is why it is very important that the surface of a playground is made of a soft , forgiving material. Playgrounds with cement or concrete surfaces are very dangerous, and they provide no cushion in the event of a fall. Sand, safety-tested rubber, or mulch are much safer for children.

Also, the surface should be clear of any rocks, broken glass, or other debris that could be harmful if stepped on or fallen upon.

Playground Equipment

You should check all playground equipment before allowing your children to play on it. For structures made of wood, you should check to see that there are no jagged edges that could produce splinters and that and any all nails are hammered in all the way so that children cannot puncture themselves on them.

There should also be guard rails for elevated structures and sufficient spacing between swings. All items that contain moving parts (such as see-saws or merry-go-rounds) should be kept a safe distance away from other playground structures.

Finally, you should make sure that your child is playing on structures that are appropriate for their age. Not all playground equipment is designed for all children, and you should exercise caution when deciding which structures are right and safe for your child.

Playground Equipment

If your child has been injured due to dangerous or faulty playground equipment, contact the Minneapolis playground injury lawyers of Terry, Slane & Ruohonen, PLLC today by calling 612-362-0000.

As a parent, your child’s safety and well being are some of the most important things that you have to consider. When you are with your child, you can be reasonably certain that nothing bad will happen to him or her. When you leave your child at school, day care, or anywhere else, you want that sense of certainty to stay with you.

Generally, schools are safe places. Teachers, staff, and everyone employed by the school have an obligation to protect your child and every other child in the school. In addition, most of the people who work in that field have a personal desire to keep your children safe and happy. Unfortunately, this is not the case one hundred percent of the time.

When the people charged with the safety of your children betray your trust, it can be very damaging. Any time a teacher or care taker hurts a child, it enrages entire communities. The teachers who slept with or hurt their students have all reached a certain level of infamy because of their actions.

When someone hurts your children, they will most likely face criminal charges. However, these charges will do nothing for you and your family. A civil case against the offender, on the other hand, can help you get through everything that comes with your child’s injuries.

A Minneapolis Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

If your child has been hurt by the people who were entrusted with his or her safety, contact the Minneapolis personal injury lawyers of Terry, Slane & Ruohonen at 612-362-0000.

It’s quite easy for one to slip and fall around the household when there are distractions present or something is out of place on the floor. People do tend to be resilient and these trips often times do not cause any serious or lasting damage. However, among infants or the elderly, these falls are more likely to inflict more severe injuries. In the worst cases, a large fall has the potential to result in death.

Stairs

The stairs inside one’s home are the area in which severe falls are the most likely to occur. The presence of rugs or loose objects, such as toys or clothing, increases the likelihood of a fall on the stairs. Lack of handrails or good lighting can also contribute to an easy tumble due to a misstep on this household structure. Always ensure that the stairs are cleared of scattered items and always take your time when ascending or descending them.

Bathrooms

The bathroom is another common area for a painful trip to occur. Poorly designed bathtubs, showers, or sinks can result in water leaks onto the floor. The presence of liquid on a hard surface, such as common bathroom floor tiles, reduces friction when walking and therefore facilitates a loss of footing. Bathtubs, with their slick and hard surfaces, are also common locations for potentially severe slips to occur. Eradication of leaks or placement of mats inside the tub or on the bathroom floor can help reduce the risk of falling in this room.

Contact Us

If you or someone you know has sustained an injury from a severe household fall, please contact the Minneapolis personal injury attorneys of Terry, Slane & Ruohonen, P.L.L.C. at 612-362-0000 today.

Sometimes, accidents can happen when people least expect them. Falls in the household are quite common, despite the fact that most individuals consider their homes to be a safe area where they can allow themselves to be at ease. Household slips occur more often among people who lack the ability to react and re-stabilize themselves quickly after a loss of balance or whose eyesight or hearing may be poor. Typically, young children and older folk are at risk of sustaining a severe fall.

Common Slip Areas

There are certain areas of the home in which people tend to trip more easily. These include stairs, bathrooms, and rooms with slick flooring or loose items strewn about.

Stairs can be common fall sites for individuals who are in a hurry or who may not see loose items on the steps. Trips on stairs can be more severe because the length of the tumble may be quite large, especially if the victim stumbles high up and is unable to break the fall.

Bathrooms, in which the formation of water puddles is a common occurrence, are also frequent injury sites. Tubs can be slippery, and without any sort of abrasive covering on their floors, individuals are liable to lose their footing quite easily when bathing. Leaks from improperly installed bathroom fixtures, such as bathtubs, sinks, or toilets, can also be a cause of slips. Bathrooms are particularly dangerous for people who lose their balance because they are typically smaller spaces filled with hard objects that have the potential to cause severe injuries.

Contact Us

If you have sustained an injury due to a household slip, the Minneapolis personal injury attorneys of Terry, Slane, & Ruohonen, P.L.L.C. can help you. Call them today at 612-362-0000 to set up an appointment.

Although everyone would like for their home to be the safest place, it is not a feasible aspiration. There are simply too many things in and around your house that are necessary, but dangerous. Most of these things, however, can be controlled dangers. The dangers that are out of your control are the most likely to cause injury.

There are a lot of different ways that you could be injured in and around your house. This is especially true when you are remodeling. When construction is involved, the risk of injury is much higher than normal. This leads to a higher number of accidents for both do it yourself home owners and those who hire professionals.

If you hire people to help you remodel your home, safety may still be an issue. When the professionals leave your home, there may be tools and hardware left lying around. This can be incredibly dangerous for you and your family.

For people who work on their own homes, there are other dangers. While remodeling can be done to make a house better, it is sometimes done to make that house less dangerous. Because of this, the existing dangers added to the construction dangers can lead to serious injury.

A Minneapolis Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

There are a lot of different ways that people can be injured in and around the house. If you or someone you know has been injured by a household product, or anything else around the house, contact the Minneapolis personal injury lawyers of Terry, Slane & Ruohonen at 612-362-0000.

Your house should be a safe place for you to live. Unfortunately, there are a lot of dangers all around. While you can see and deal with most of them on a daily basis, and fairly easily, there are some dangers that are completely invisible.

Carbon monoxide is often called the silent killer. This is because it is invisible, tasteless and scentless. It is also incredibly toxic. There have been a very large number of cases in which people died in their sleep because of carbon monoxide poisoning. Unfortunately, carbon monoxide is produced in a number of ways in and around your house.

Common items around your house can put off dangerous levels of carbon monoxide if left unchecked. Things like furnaces and heaters are notorious for their carbon monoxide output. However, there are a lot of other things that create carbon monoxide as well.

Carbon monoxide poisoning often happens during extended blackouts because people start to use generators in their houses. Many generators put off carbon monoxide at high levels. If you keep the generator in a confined space, that carbon monoxide can build up rapidly and become very dangerous.

Carbon monoxide is extremely dangerous and is undetectable by humans. There are, however, carbon monoxide detectors that could save you and your family from this silent killer.

Speak with a Minneapolis Personal Injury Lawyer Today

If you or someone you know has been injured by carbon monoxide, contact the Minneapolis personal injury attorneys of Terry, Slane & Ruohonen at 612-362-0000.

Your house should be a safe place for you and your family. Unfortunately, there are many dangers all throughout it. While you manage many of these dangers on a daily basis, there are some that can become more dangerous without your knowing.

Electricity is a very important part of any home. Without electricity, you have no lights, no air conditioning, and no refrigeration. However, electricity can also be very dangerous. Large appliances use a lot of electricity. Because of this, they have special power outlets and cords. These cords and outlets generally have large ground wires to keep electrocution from occurring. This, however, does not always happen.

If a ground wire is not used, or it fails in some way, electrocution can happen very easily. It will also be a very intense shock based on the size of the appliance. However, failed ground wires are not the only way in which people get electrocuted in their houses.

Often, electrocution occurs when people are using smaller appliances or devices. Things such as toasters can easily cause electrocution. This is especially true with younger children. When a piece of toast gets stuck, a child may try to dig it out with a knife.

Many times, however, it is not the toaster that electrocutes. Instead, a person tries to plug something into the wall, but faulty wiring causes electrocution.

A Minneapolis Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

If you or someone you know has been injured by any common household items, contact the Minneapolis personal injury lawyers of Terry, Slane & Ruohonen at 612-362-0000.

Everyone would like for their house to be completely worry free. Unfortunately, this is not the case. There are a lot of different things all around your house that can cause serious injuries and even death. Nobody wants that outcome to be a part of their home, so safety becomes a very important part of daily life.

While chemical cleaners are very dangerous, they are not the only dangers in your house. There are a lot of different fire hazards all around you. There are the obvious ones, like your stove and oven. However, there are also less obvious fire hazards as well.

Irons can pose a fire hazard if left unattended. If you leave an iron on it becomes extremely hot. If you leave it lying down, or it falls down, it could start something on fire. While ironing boards are sometimes fire resistant, they are not necessarily fire proof. If you leave an iron laying on the board for long enough, it could catch on fire.

Irons are not, however, the only fire hazard. Frayed wires are a very common fire starter. There are a lot of electronic appliances and devices around your house. If any of these have frayed wires, they could start a fire. Even if they do not have frayed wires, however, fires can still ensue. It is also important to not overload your power outlets. This poses just as big a risk as frayed wiring.

Call a Minneapolis Personal Injury Lawyer

If you or someone you know has been injured by a household product, contact the Minneapolis personal injury lawyers of Terry, Slane & Ruohonen at 612-362-0000.

Your house is supposed to be your sanctuary. At the end of the day you can always go home, sit back and relax. At least that is how you would like it to be. In reality, your home is full of dangers that you manage on a daily basis. However, not everyone may know how to handle those dangers.

One of the biggest dangers that you have in your house is chemical cleaner. Just about everybody has some sort of cleaner in the kitchen and bathroom. While somewhat necessary, these can also be extremely dangerous.

Most people do not think about toxic fumes. Some cleaners are so strong that they put off dangerous fumes. While inhaling these in small doses is relatively safe, prolonged exposure can be dangerous. One example of this is bleach. If you clean with bleach, you know that things are getting very clean. However, if you let that bleach sit out for too long, you could be doing damage to yourself and anyone around. The fumes that bleach puts off are incredibly dangerous.

In addition to single chemical fumes, mixing chemicals can be deadly. If you mix an ammonia based cleaner with bleach, the result will be a noxious gas. This is incredibly dangerous, and can cause death. You should never mix chemicals.

Speak with a Minneapolis Personal Injury Lawyer Today

If you or someone you know has been injured by a household item, contact the Minneapolis personal injury lawyers of Terry, Slane & Ruohonen at 612-362-0000.

Pretty much every modern American home has a number of electrical appliances inside to ease everyday tasks, such as cooking, lighting, and heating. What most people don’t know, however, is that these electrical products can pose a fire hazard if there is a defect or if they do not receive proper care. Every year, appliances cause 24,300 fires in the United States, and 100 people are killed by these incidences. On top of that, 925 people are injured by these blazes, as well. The numbers seem alarmingly high when one considers the usability and apparent safety of these tools.

There are several measures the average appliance owner can taken in order to prevent these potentially hazardous and sometimes fatal events from occurring:

• Any appliance that is supplied with electricity has a constant source of heat and energy. If the casing to these products or the insulation around their power cords seems to be breaking down, unplug the appliance immediately.
• Never stick a three-pronged plug into a two-prong socket.
• If an appliance is sparking, remove it from the power source immediately and seek repairs.
• Never let plugged-in appliances near water.
• Do not overload any socket. Drawing too much current from the source has the high potential of beginning a fire.
• Inspect extension cords, power cords, and your home wiring on a routine basis.
• Keep a smoke detector in every room to alert you and your family of fires that may be starting.

Contact Us

Appliance fires are more common that people typically think. Often times, they can result from faulty or defective products. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a household appliance fire, please contact the Minneapolis burn injury lawyers of Terry, Slane & Ruohonen, P.L.L.C. at 612-362-0000 to see how we can help you.