The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) have revealed that accidental injury is second only to cancer in causing death in children.
The Trust says that thousands of children are killed each year from accidents in the home, on the road or in school. The most common injuries children under the age of five sustain in the home include: choking, suffocation and strangulation, as well as falls, poisoning, burns and scalds, and drowning.
While these accidents may cost the NHS over £275 million, the cost to families can be much greater. For children who survive, their quality of life can be hugely affected. However, Reggie Dhesi from Children’s Accident Helpline said the good news is that accident rates among children are falling:
“The good news is that overall accident rates among children are falling, the bad news is that they are still too high, especially in children from more deprived backgrounds. We see the ongoing impact of accidental injury or death on the parents and families of the children involved daily, there is a lot of guilt and regret, and in many cases a need to seek justice if the accident is someone else’s fault. It’s a fraught and sensitive time and it’s made even more painful by the fact that the vast majority of the time the incident could have been prevented.”
Children’s Accident Helpline consists of a team of solicitors, personal injury specialists, and support staff who help the parents and carers of children who have experienced an accident that was wholly or partly the fault of someone else..
