Falls

Falls hurt more children ages 14 and under than any other unintentional injury. In fact, one-third of patients treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries sustained in falls are children. Children most often fall from the following:

• baby walkers
• furniture
• playground equipment
• shopping carts
• stairs
• windows

The severity of injuries sustained in a fall depends on the height of the fall and the landing surface. Most serious or fatal falls involve head injuries.

Proper safety measures in the home can help prevent certain types of falls, including those involving baby walkers and stairs. Installing window guards and/or moving furniture away from windows may prevent some falls. In addition, making sure the surface underneath playground equipment is a loose-fill surfacing or special playground surfacing can help minimize injuries in a fall.

There are many different types of fall-related injuries that require clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional. Listed in the directory below are some considerations, for which a brief overview has been provided.

If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please visit the Safety and Injury Prevention Online Resources page in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may contain additional information on that topic.