Summer Camp Might Be Over, But Summer Safety Is Still Important

Georgia’s public schools are already back in session (much to our children’s chagrin, it appears), but summer as a season still lingers. For many families, that means weekend trips to the shore, or afternoons playing in a pool or in the sand, listening to music and eating the best barbeque in the country.

Summer camp might be over for most of our children, but some came home with injuries that could have been avoided. We want to help other families avoid such injuries for the rest of this summer and in the summers to come.

Georgia summer safety checklist

If you plan on spending time in the outdoors this season, or want to sign your child up for summer camp next year, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your child is in the safest environment possible.

1. Learn CPR. Metro Atlanta’s Red Cross offers classes, as does Georgia CPR.
2. Take swimming lessons. The YMCA of Atlanta offers swim classes for people of all ages as does the YMCA of Coastal Georgia.
3. Wear and reapply sunscreen. Heat stroke and sun exposure send thousands of people to the ER every year with burn injuries. Severe sun burn can cause permanent scarring, as well as a number of health issues.
4. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration occurs more easily than you might think. Make sure you and your children are drinking enough water.

If you want to send your child to summer camp next year:

• Choose a licensed facility. You can access Georgia’s regulations for camps here.
• Research and be satisfied with the facility’s policies regarding safety and supervision.
• Ask for an itinerary of any upcoming trips or excursions, as well as a list of alternate trips or activities in case the planned ones fall through.
• Research and be satisfied the facility has appropriate policies in place to ensure safety during all planned trips and excursions.
• Ensure that all activities in or near the water, or those that involve heights, occur only under the close supervision of sufficient staff who are trained to respond to emergencies in these situations and are trained in CPR.
• Read all paperwork carefully, and request clarification for anything you do not understand.
• Make sure that everyone who works in that camp is CPR certified.
• Speak with the on-staff doctor or nurse, to ensure that he or she is aware of any food or insect allergies your child might have.
• Introduce yourself to counselors, camp directors and other parents.
• Make sure your child knows how to contact you in case of an emergency. If he or she is very young, now is the time to teach him/her your telephone number as well as how and when to call 9-1-1. The official emergency caller training program is 9-1-1 for Kids; you can find free tips, videos, research and resources there to help you teach your kids about the program.

What leads to children being injured at summer camp?

Bumps and bruises happen, but your child could sustain serious injuries while away at summer camp. When those injuries are the result of another person’s negligence, you may be able to make a claim for medical bills and expenses, your lost wages and your child’s pain and suffering.

• Inadequate supervision of the children by staff is one of the leading causes of serious child injuries. When counselors do not pay enough and appropriate attention to the children they watch over, it increases the risk of your child drowning, being injured by other campers, or entering unsafe areas.
• Unauthorized excursions can also place your child in a dangerous position. (This is what led to the drowning death of a camper in July.)
• Inadequate training and resulting failure to perform life-saving measures, such as CPR or the administration of an Epi-pen, can also cause substantial harm to your child.
• Dangerous property conditions of the camp itself could lead to serious injuries as well. You may be able to file a premises liability lawsuit if this is the case.
• Driver negligence is another cause of child injuries. Bus and van drivers can my liable if they get into a car crash while transporting the children from one activity to another.
• Age-inappropriate activates can also put your child at risk. If a summer camp includes children of all ages participating in the same activity, and those children are not separated by age group, your child could end up either engaging in an activity that is “too old” for him or her, or being injured by children who are bigger than he or she is.

We hope that this information will help you protect your child, so that your child does not have to experience any serious injury or worse, death, while entrusted to a summer camp.

Harris Lowry Manton LLP is a premier personal injury law firm serving clients throughout Georgia. If your child sustained an injury at a summer camp, during school hours, at day care or while otherwise under the supervision of another person, we may be able to help. Please call our Atlanta attorneys at 404-961-7650, our Savannah lawyers at 912-651-9967, or fill out our contact form.