Not all accidents in which the youngest are victims are random events. Most take place at home, in playgrounds, on the way to and from school, and on school grounds where children are usually looked after by adults. Unfortunately, we often lack the imagination to predict a child's behavior, react in time and prevent misfortune.

Accidents and injuries with childrenstill happen too often. Every year, over 120,000 children require hospital treatment due to injuries and poisoning. The most common cause of injuries in children under 3 years of age are falls from a height. On the other hand, among children over 3 years of age, traffic accidents dominate - hitches by a car, bicycle accidents and road collisions in which the child participates as a passenger. Many serious accidents happen in backyards, playgrounds and sports fields. Their causes are believed to be faulty construction and insufficient maintenance of instruments, mounting sharp metal fragments of their structures, etc. In houses, there are falls and injuries caused by hitting the hard edges of the furniture. There are also burns and electric shocks. Sometimes a child is bitten by a dog, often by the one kept at home. In adolescents, injuries suffered during training or other sports activities and beatings related to violence common among teenagers, used against weaker children, dominate.

Important

Accidents involving minors

  • 48 percent - communication
  • 20 percent - falls from a height
  • 10 percent - explosion and / or fire
  • 9 percent - in agriculture
  • 13 percent - other

Car, bike, skateboard

Data from the Police Headquarters show that in 2013 there were 3,454 road accidents in Poland involving children up to 14 years of age. In these events, 90 children died and 3,747 were injured. The vast majority of accident victims are children under the age of 6 who were passengers of vehicles. The youngest are exposed to the risk of loss of life or he alth primarily due to the mistakes of adults, often parents or other relatives. It is comforting, however, that 88 percent. children are transported in car seats or otherwise secured during the journey. But at the same timethe vast majority of small passengers travel so safely mainly on national roads and in large cities; the lower the road class, the lower the percentage of using child seats. Therefore, it is worth recalling that according to the provisions of the Highway Code, a child under 12 years of age, who is less than 150 cm tall, must travel in a safety seat or on a special stand, fastened with safety belts. Children were also the perpetrators of road accidents, playing on the road, e.g. on a skateboard or a bicycle. 236 accidents, in which 10 people died and 272 were injured, were caused by minors (15-17 years old). They were mainly mopeds.

Dramas during fieldwork

Children living in the countryside rarely get a real vacation. They often have to help their parents with field and home work, work for which they are not prepared, or work that is beyond their strength. According to KRUS, about 1,000 children suffer accidents every year that are related to farm work. This is for many reasons. The disregard for threats and the poor condition of many technical devices stand out. There is also talk of allowing children to work on agricultural machinery, i.e. devices not only large-sized, but also with many rotating and sharp parts. Forage harvesters, grinders and feed mixers are devices that should not be operated by children. In farms there are also electric shocks, because the installations were not properly secured, and drowning because the wells and slurry tanks were not properly shielded. Children are also at risk of seriously poisoning pesticides because they are involved in preparing the chemicals for spraying.

Important

In 2013, 709 people drowned, including 14 children under the age of 7, 18 children aged 8-14 and 45 children aged 15-18. The most common cause of drownings was swimming in forbidden places, rivers with strong current, ignorance of water reservoirs, swimming without lifeguard supervision and lack of adult care. Alcohol was also the cause of misfortune among teenagers. Bravado or - to put it bluntly - stupidity is also the cause of irreversible spine injuries after jumping into the water on the so-called head.

Traps in the apartment

Children with severe poisoning often end up in anesthesiology and intensive care units. Sometimes doctors may not believe that such an event could have happened at all. Annually, as much as 80 percent. all poisonings are drug poisoning. However, poisoning with solvents, brake fluid or household agents for scrubbing, cleaning and unclogging pipes is not uncommon. Their effects can be tragic. After all, it is enough for a child to drinkhalf a teaspoon of solvent to be killed within two hours! Extensive pulmonary edema occurs rapidly and the child suffocates. The corrosive substances contained in preparations for unblocking sewage pipes cause no less havoc in the body. These agents are not toxic in themselves, but they do cause liquid necrosis of the mucosa, i.e. its complete disintegration. Damage depends on where the substance enters. If the child spits it out, only the mucosa in the mouth will be burned. If he swallows it, the esophagus and the rest of the digestive tract will also be damaged. Similar damage occurs after drinking brake fluid, which is especially tempting to small children, because it has not only a raspberry color, but also a sweet taste. What is the cause of such events? Most often, the carelessness of parents who pour the remains of chemical substances into drink bottles, compote jars and leave them in a place easily accessible for a child. This is enough to cause misfortune. Most of us are convinced that a poisoned child should be induced vomiting or given medicinal charcoal. In case of poisoning with chemicals, this rule does not apply. Vomiting may worsen the baby's condition and cause more havoc with the body, and may cause a choking hazard if the baby is unconscious. Modern chemicals have a very complex composition and only an experienced toxicologist will select the antidote.

Important

Create a home without threats

  • Protect the oven with a special cover so that a child cannot reach the burners.
  • Do not leave knives or other sharp objects on the kitchen counter.
  • Secure electric cables from mixers, kettles so that a child cannot reach them. Secure the contacts with special caps.
  • Do not leave small items within the child's hands that may end up in his ear, nose or mouth, damage organs or cause choking.
  • Detergents, washing powders and other chemicals - like all medications - keep in closed cupboards or places inaccessible to children. If your child is taking or taking medications, don't call them candy. Say that these are medicines that only sick people take.
  • Place the dishes with hot liquids on the kitchen worktop close to the wall to prevent your child from reaching for them. A burn that will cover 15 percent. child's skin, can be fatal. Store the hot iron in a safe place. Put a suitable barrier in front of the fireplace or stove (you can buy it in DIY stores) that your child cannot overcome. Do not light candles in the room where children are playing.
  • No.leave your baby unattended while bathing. Equip the bathtub with a non-slip mat to protect the child from falling and choking.

Dangerous consequences of children's accidents and injuries

Each injury is a great threat to the he alth and life of a child. It happens that seemingly harmless ends with a significant limitation of fitness or even disability. An injury or involvement in an accident is also a significant burden on the child's psyche, which often makes itself felt for many years. Injuries to the body, especially to the face and skull, leave unsightly scars in many cases. They can also end up with underdevelopment of the mandible and missing teeth. Head injuries are the most dangerous. One of the complications is post-traumatic epilepsy, which manifests itself up to 6 months after the injury, but may also occur later. In children after craniocerebral trauma, mental retardation or dullness is then relatively frequently found. There are also emotional and social disorders. It is usually hyperactivity, restlessness, infantility, outbursts of anger, anger, or on the contrary - apathy and anxiety. Some children, after injuries, cannot concentrate, have learning difficulties or speech disorders. Young patients, after poisoning with chemicals, usually go to hospital gastrological or surgical wards. The damaged mucosa heals over time, but it does not regain full efficiency. On its surface scars are formed similar to those

According to an expertprof. Krzysztof Bielecki, MD, PhD, head of the Department of General Surgery and the Alimentary System at the Clinical Hospital Witold Orłowski in Warsaw

Adults must feel responsible for their children

In June, I was deeply touched by the story of a 3-year-old girl who died of overheating because her father had left her in a locked car for eight hours. For me it is manslaughter. But … Accidents ending in death or permanent disability include adverse events which are a huge problem all over the world. In Poland, it is reluctant to talk about it, and yet as much as 50 percent. these adverse events can be avoided. However, one condition must be met: adults must anticipate the consequences of children's behavior. I am outraged that parents let their children run or cycle along busy streets. Even if nothing happens today, there will be a tragedy one day, because the child's behavior is ill-considered reflexes. The ball will fly into the street, the child will run after it, often under a moving car. The guardians place hot food or drinks in front of the children, not thinking that in a moment this soup or tea may land on the baby's belly. Examples can bemultiply, but that's not the point. The point is that we should anticipate dangers and teach children to behave properly on the road, by the water, in the bath, at home. Not to impose further restrictions on children, but to protect them. Adults need to feel responsible for children. In my opinion, they should also be punished for negligence that led to the loss of he alth, disability or death of the child.

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