According to news stories, a two year old boy was playing on a play structure located in the back yard of a home day care center located on North Claremont Avenue in Alum Rock when the string of his hooded sweatshirt apparently got caught between boards of the structure. Children attending the day care told a day care worker that the little boy was sleeping and wouldn’t wake up. The day care supervisor found the boy on the top of the play structure and called for emergency medical service. EMS transported the young boy emergently to San Jose Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead afterward.
Because of a toddlers’ lack of judgment, they are at high risk for injury. Toddlers have limited coordination, increased curiosity and toddler-problem solving abilities and this puts toddlers at risk for injury or death when there is a lack of supervision. Males tend to get injured more, but the overall incidence of injury peaks in this age group. Supervision is a key factor in the prevention of injury and death. The environment should be child-proofed. Children should play in fenced areas with constant supervision by adults. Toddlers should never be left unattended. Deaths that are injury-related make-up approximately 37% of all causes of toddler deaths. Toddlers have increased gross motor skills to include walking, running, climbing, throwing and riding. They participate in more outdoor activities and have increased curiosity. They reach for objects and pull on objects. Toddlers are developing their fine motor skills. At this age, toddlers can open doors, gates, drawers, bottles and boxes. They become easily distracted and lack judgment. They do not fear heights, depth of water, heat from flames, volatile materials, electricity and animals. Because of the newly developed ability to wander and perform fine and gross motor skills, toddlers are at risk for injury or death when left unsupervised. Toddler's do not call out for help when they are in serious trouble. And they cannot call out for help when they are being asphyxiated by strangulation.
