4 freak, but preventable accidents that happened to real kids

Here are a few strange accidents that we’ve read about recently that could have been prevented.

1. 30-40 kids each year die because parents, or a caregiver, accidentally leave a child in the car. The interior of a car can reach 99* in just ten minutes on an 80* day. Possible fix: Make it a practice to always leave your coat or cell phone in the back seat so you always look before you leave.

2. We recently read a story about a boy who was toilet training and the seat fell down and crushed his penis. Freak accident, yes, but you can easily imagine how it could happen given where a little boy is standing at the time. In this case, blood started flowing out of the urethra and the accident required a trip to the ER. Luckily, after some very ugly symptoms, the little boy’s penis recovered. Possible fix: get a U-shaped seat, or a spring-loaded seat gently sets the seat down after use.

3. Who hasn’t looked up at a big branch holding a tire swing and wondered if it can really hold a small child or a lifetime of swinging. Sadly, large branches and homemade swings do fall down, and the results can be disastrous if the child is hit with the falling debris. Possible fix: Buy a swing set, or only use a healthy and sturdy branch at least 8″ in diameter to hang your swing.

4. After investigation of 14 baby sling-related deaths over the past 20 years, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is telling parents to be careful when using them for babies under four months old. A recent recall involved Infantino Slingriders because of suffocation risk. Possible fix: Do not use slings for infants, or any fragile or low-birthweight baby. Even with older babies, make sure you look down often and make sure the baby’s face is not covered with fabric. This is especially important for small babies because they lack the neck strength to pull themselves into positions where they can breathe and can silently suffocate.