It’s spring time here in Memphis and with warmer weather, kids are starting to play outside more – it’s sure a joy to see.

However, as adults, we need to make sure it’s a continuous joy for these kids to play outside and need to exercise a degree of caution to make sure they stay safe.

Trampolines

Yes, they can be so much fun, but trampolines are dangerous, period. Ideally, I don’t think you should have one, but if you do, always be cautious when kids are playing on it.

Keep the trampoline maintained. If something is broken, loose or messed up in anyway, have it fixed before you let your kids or anyone else’s kids jump on it.

Always supervise your kids when they’re playing on the trampoline. Also, if someone else’s kids want to play on your trampoline, it may be a good idea to ask their parents to supervise as well.

Home owners also have a duty to keep uninvited kids off of their trampoline, such as having a fence around their backyard.

I’ve handled trampoline injury cases here in Memphis many times and it’s sad to see how banged up children can be from playing on these “toys.”

Swimming Pools

If you have a swimming pool, you need to exercise the same amount of caution as with a trampoline. Always supervise kids when they’re swimming in the pool or playing around it.

With kids running around outside, you never know when they may slip or trip and fall into the pool.

Keep the pool maintained properly, including your diving board if you have one. Make sure the shallow end and deep end are clearly defined. Also make sure that any kids who can’t swim have on the proper floatation devices.

Also, just as with trampolines, owners have a duty to keep uninvited kids out of their swimming pool with a fence around the backyard or something similar.

Kids riding bicycles or playing in the street

One of the more popular things you during nice weather is kids riding their bikes outside or playing in or around the street. It’s nice to see a community of kids come together and have a good time.

It’s important to keep these kids safe though, and that goes for the parents as well as other adults/teenagers driving their cars through neighborhoods.

Parents, if your kids are playing outside close to the street, either riding their bikes or throwing the baseball around (preferably in a Yankees ball cap), supervise them to ensure their safety. Make sure they’re aware when cars are coming and they aren’t doing anything they shouldn’t be doing.

If you’re not a parent, but rather just driving through neighborhoods, drive slow. Will speeding through a neighborhood really get you where you want to go THAT much quicker? No.

Not only should you drive slow, but also be aware of your surroundings. Put your phone down, leave the radio on the station it’s on and keep both eyes on the road. You never know when a kid is going to cross the street on his or her bike or chase after a loose ball. But if you’re driving slow and not distracted, then you can most likely stop to avoid hitting the kid.

Dogs

Along with kids playing outside when the weather is nice, there’s an increased amount of owners walking their dogs around the neighborhood.

It’s important to keep your dogs leashed up properly and make sure they aren’t able to get out of their collar.

Also, if you know your dog has shown signs of aggression, it’s important to politely tell children who ask to pet your dog that they shouldn’t do so. This protects not only the kid, but you as well.

This year, let’s make a collective effort to ensure our community’s children stay safe as they play outside in this nice weather so we may see them play outside the next day and the next year.

However, if your kid does unfortunately suffer an injury due to the negligence of someone else, you should speak to an attorney immediately as you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering and more.

At Darrell Castle & Associates, we’ve practiced personal injury in Memphis for decades. We love kids and we want them to enjoy playing outside in safety. We want to ensure they can do this by keeping adults accountable.

If this is you, please contact us today, either online or by calling us at (901) 327-1212, and one of our experienced Memphis personal injury attorneys will be ready to speak with you about your situation, free of charge.

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, an auto accident lawyer Memphis, TN trusts from Darrell Castle & Associates is here to help.