Personal Injury due to Skateboard Accident
In Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise, Plantation, Weston and many other cities across Broward County kids and teens can be seen maneuvering their skateboards in all the plazas in these cities. We have found that in many cases, a skateboarding accident normally results from someone else's negligence.
Skateboarders are often unseen or distracted, and inattentive drivers of motor vehicles forget that they can share the road as well as bicyclists. Even if these kids follow the rules and practice their own safety tips while skateboarding, they can still be hit by negligent drivers.
Hospital emergency rooms state that approximately 26,000 skateboarders are injured yearly. Most of these skateboard injuries can stem from sprains, fractures, contusions and abrasions; these are some of the most common types of injuries.
Some of the factors that can be taken into consideration and that can add to the reasons for some of these accidents besides driver negligence, are the rider may not be wearing the proper protective equipment, poor board maintenance, and irregular riding surfaces.
Skateboard riding requires good balance and body control, yet many young skateboarders have not developed the necessary balance and do not react quickly enough to prevent injury.
Our office has also seen that these injuries happen mainly to the following:
Almost every 6 out of 10 kids under the age of 15 are more susceptible to injuries due to lack of experience on their board;
Skaters with a year or more of experience have the next highest number of injuries as they are the ‘risk ‘ takers - willing to try more tricks on their boards;
Riding surfaces that are uneven such as surfaces that have holes bumps rocks and other debris account for over half of the skating injuries leading to falls. Before riding, skaters should screen the area where they will be riding by checking for holes, bumps, rocks and any debris.
Skating in the street can result in collisions with cars causing serious injury and even death.
Experienced skaters mainly suffer injuries when they fall after they strike rocks and other irregularities in the riding surface or when they attempt difficult stunts.
South Florida known as the “Sunshine State” is home to many skateboarders, hence the reason why there has been a rise in injuries, mainly from driver negligence. Should you or a loved one be the victim of personal injury due to driver negligence while riding a skateboard you should seek legal counsel for your minor to ensure that you are compensated for damages and medical bills should you decide to file claim.
