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malerials rested under the aegis of the meN lha� appellant suV<rvise, by 1he cnnsidered rtegli6ent_ gn iLC part 9L
<br />Consnmer Pro�uct Safcy.Commis_ immediateprcsenceofa�eacheqea<h �he pttson or agency.re+ponsible_fpr__ �.'_ .
<br />sion during lM-devlapIIlenL,pL1h4 playground faciliq'. Thcrefore, i� thc prnperty in yuestion, given 16c_ ��
<br />proposed safety sta��da[(Lfor oublic does not appe�r th�t ihis acsidenl i�nmature judgment RC�-the lypical
<br />�playground eqwpmgq(.,;, Mac{g�aryr, could heve b�eu pr��l��ih�!r�A� �t�El pla>erc�iin�,fusco. � ��
<br />after iMn �yaync""k�"�"�nt, >'�`✓�,. avoidedbytlieprc�enCp'�FSUChager- '
<br />Wendi'used lhe average force of SOGs son. I1 was brought nbout b�.ShCh�_ ��hu Is Liable?
<br />__.
<br />as lhe Ihreshhold of serious injury, -Oulsive a�suddcn act of another
<br />_____._'—_... .__ . . . .
<br />and 160 Gs as the level at x'hich swdem_' In assignmg liability for m�unes
<br />fatalities 6egin m occua Engineers � A child under I4, [he age range associated with the use of a produc�
<br />lhen conduned lests of common which almost exdusirely utilizes tl�e firs( questio_n_is usually rc�ared !o
<br />playground surfaces and rttorded playground equipmen[, Senerally is _nheth4[9c.noL�hP ���er xas on notice
<br />tM1eir relative imDact levels at various ��capable of foresceing and avoiding as ro Ihe riiks in.vQlved. In the case of
<br />drop heights. The resul�s are reDOrted dangec Consequently, since such children, howeveq it would seem ihat
<br />in the tabie which accompanies lhis "impuisive and sudden" acts are the queslion is mt pertinenC inform-
<br />erlicle. common in a playground si[ualion, ingachildthalinjurywilloccurifshe
<br />In examining [his chert il is im- those responsible lor tne tlesign and mns in front oi a car uoea noi �ti�crc '
<br />mediateiy evident tM1at even at low maintenance_-o"f-mCfi .pla.ygrounds us of the responsibiliry of keeping her
<br />heighis, a child who falls directly on �shoutd�iake this typical behavior pao- out of traffic. By lhe same token,
<br />his or her head onto an asphalt or -IeriYinto accouni and make sure that
<br />cOnem[e surfaa is in �he potentiailv 'such'2e[s�wil(nbl result io3eriuuiiLL�
<br />.�'aia�..l'mRpct ran¢a Tha[ more jury. -DesD��e the fact that it is �he
<br />fatzlitia do mt occur is due largslv to Tia7d surface which in most cases is At [he present time, rt0
<br />the facl that in_most_instsnces the lhe injury agent in playground falls,
<br />child wili break the fall, when gossiy the possibility that failing to provide manufactured
<br />ble,withen_armocleg_ a railient material to cushion surh playg[OUfiC�
<br />' We have seen, then, that although fails migh� amoun[ to negligence has equipment...bears a
<br />the rypes ot injuries rela�ed to not been an issue in reooned cases: �abel w8[nl�lg [hOSC
<br />playground equipment use are many � jn Cordaro v. Unian Free Schoal Ce5 onsible for its in-
<br />and varied, head injuries to the Dis(rirt No. 11, Farmingdale, for en- P
<br />younger chil�s i6e resW��falls ample, while Ihe horizontal ladder staliation and �
<br />�represent the most common and most from w•hich the victim feli was ques- (nylil[0I13IICf CI18L 1[ IS �
<br />serious m3�+Y-Pt��-�� addnion, it tioned relative to its suitability fo� hazardous if instalted
<br />is - evident in companng data on siz-year-old, the inapprovnatene.ss of
<br />human impact tolerance with the pre- �� the � as�rTialt, surface onto wh'cn �he Ov2[ 85ph21t� COnC�et2�
<br />sent s�ale of the art on surfa<e �esting chiid fell was_not d'scucsed. The com- Of pBCI(2d CBCIh. '�.
<br />that ihe mosi widely used pIaY6�aund p�aint was dismissed on lhe grounds �
<br />surfaces-asphalt, concrcte, and �hat "under the circumstances. re-
<br />� packed earth-undoubcedly con- quiremem o!� more,specific supervi-
<br />tribute to the severity of such ao- sion tfiari �hat anually _Prqv_id�p.
<br />cidems _Who bears the _responsibility wouid_6e.unceasonahle.'- merely lelling childr<n Ihat they can
<br />for remCdying-�'° °`^�^"^^? _. ���plthough responsible supervision is get hurt it they "misuse" playground �
<br />necessary on piaygrounds, even �he equipmenC"¢oes not e cu �fus.,�'tf_' �
<br />Some Legal Issues mos� diligent su0�rvision cannol pre- they are injueed— �
<br />rem injuries once a fall has Wken �-In the case of falls onto hard
<br />The implications of the newly ac- p�ace. All the snpervixor can hope to playgmund surfaces, thc equi mo ent
<br />quired da�a regarding nonimpac[- nccomplish is to discourage Ihe is.involved in t6eaCddcot..6uLthear . �
<br />absorbing surfaces are qui�e broad beha�ior which might Iead �o such ao- mal injury_ agent is more often Ihe �
<br />for playground injury cases. Until ciJents; a �eacher slanding right nesl sur(ace itselL Who is liable? Z11� �.
<br />now, �he zttpmeys_ fu[1he. D�g]ntJts_ ta a siide, for cxample, will no� soften manufaqW[t4 the person x!hpjnsmlls
<br />in such czses hm_e usually nroccedeQ �he impnci of �he axphalt once a child lhe �quipment, or Ihe person or eaem
<br />trom the argumeni of _ inadequaie has xiippcd from Ihe cquipmem in � cy on whosc,prnperlv it s�a�d_�?
<br />superv�siy,Fxceplincaseswhereno q�eslion. At �he present lime no manufae-
<br />supervisory personnel at all were on Consequcntly, the rcal issue in IurM playgroond cquipmcnt whether
<br />. the' playground, such as Num v. p��yg�ound injurics duc m fnlls imcndcd for public or backyard uu,
<br />BrwrA of Edua�u�inrr n/ .Srhrn¢rfady shonlJ no� bc �ha� of supervision, ax bears a labcl worning those responsi- .
<br />�352 N.Y.ti.2J D76 boaNs ofeJuca- necexsary ax i� is, M1ut ralher whell�er 61e for ils inslallation and
<br />tinn have generally won such caus on �� ��� i��� surface nnlo which Ihe viu mainlenantt Ihot il is hatardous if in•
<br />�, apPeal. in Fenlll v. 9oard af EAun• 1im fcll could possibly have absorbeJ s1�I1eU over asphal[, eoncrete, or
<br />�lfon, Cmlro( Schnnl Ofstrief No. I ihr impaci uf n humnn bcing falling pncked curth. Ax a rcsuh, Ihou x�6o
<br />� (174 N.Y.S. 2J 911. Ihe canpininl from n given hei6Al. It wuulJ sec�1L p��rchose it are not IechnicallY on •
<br />was dismisscJ wilh thc folinwing Ihai iu insinll ur mnimain__;luy nolicc ihal �criuuc inlurycan resuU if
<br />n�emur.mdmn: plargrnunA apparanrc �wrr :l nu:b il is inqalicd ov:r a nm�.energy.
<br />.•17ufc •.�as ne n..cci�iiY nr rcquin- cueryy�ul�amLinE xudACC , wulJ l�c aU.url.inll surl'xc.
<br />�] TRI�I.
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