You want your kids to have a backyard that they enjoy, but be careful about letting it become an “extreme sports” zone. Before you install a trampoline for the kids or build a half pipe for your budding skateboarder, consider the dangers of a “rad” yard. Even if you’re putting in traditional playground equipment such as swings and slides, make safety a priority: It’ll reduce the risk of injuries for your kids and others. Don’t forget — you could be held liable if someone else’s child is injured on your property.

• Think twice about risky equipment. More than 90,000 trampoline-related injuries and 104,000 skateboard-related injuries are seen in emergency rooms every year. If you do install a trampoline, be sure to supervise it closely: Allow only one person on at a time, and prohibit tricks such as somersaults or blindfolded tag. Insist that your skateboarders wear protective gear, such as helmets, and pads on their wrists, elbows and knees. Better yet, sign the kids up at a gymnastics center or bring them to a skate park. 
• Install a shock-absorbing surface, such as mulch or shredded rubber, beneath traditional equipment, such as swings, slides and climbing walls.

Call us to review what’s in your backyard and inside your home. Let’s make sure your Homeowners coverage can handle I what lands on it — even if it’s an accident or a lawsuit.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 24th, 2006 at 7:49 am and is filed under Insurance, Homeowner. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.