Dangerous Playgrounds - Family & Parenting - Your Life - MSN Lifestyle

Kid should not have been climbing up the support poles, father should have been paying attention to his kid, etc. Stuff happens, this sue happy country makes me sick. Maybe the father should be thrown in jail for negligence.

Why did the dad just watch the boy climb and fall? As soon as the boy started to climb the dad should of ran and grabbed him. Parents don't want to watch their kids anymore. It's just sad. If a kid jumps off a chair inside and hits his head on the tile floor? Are they going to sue burger kind for having chairs too? this is rediculous.

How old was the parent? You can't see the danger involved here? It's in plain view. Do you pay more attention when your child climbs a tree? Give me a break. I take my granddaughter to a couple of these places routinely. She's three. You stay right there with her at all times. I watch parents just turning their children loose on these playgrounds all the time while they are inside eating. Kids are kids and they do all sorts of things you expect from kids. You go higher and higher and higher. It can't always happen by any means, but parents have no business placing their children in environments that really on the adults knows are risky. Let's just pass a law that all playgrounds are out.

Remove all the playgrounds. require parents to keep their whining children to themselves. It seems like the person who brought the lawsuit new of the problem. Why did he let his child use the playground? If something seems wrong should not the parent or guardian have some responsibility.

I agree. Everyone knows your kid is not supposed to climb on the outside of the structure. It's too bad what happened to this boy, but he could have done the same thing at a park or at school climbing the playground equipment in a way it wasn't supposed to be played on or by climbing a tree. Burger King probably should have put a net up to avoid the law suit, but ultimately it's the parents' responsibility to watch, protect and redirect the child to keep him safe. Frustrates me that the article says "hidden dangers." Wasn't it obvious that if a kid scales the outside of the play structure above a tile floor he could fall and get hurt? There's nothing "hidden" about it.

This is just another example of parents expecting someone else to police their children. Just because other kids were doing it did not release the parent of total responsibility. I witness this behavior constantly, not only at fast food playgrounds, but at public parks as well. The really irritating thing is when I ask the child to play according to the POSTED rules and regulations, not only for their safety but for my children's, their parents start behaving worse than the kids by yelling and threatening. The restaurant can only do so much.

The child shouldn't have been able to climb up them in the first place. Parents have to actually WATCH their kids. I do know our McDonald's has pretty much enclosed their play area so stuff like this shouldn't happen but kids are still kids and they're just an accident looking for a place to happen. Maybe Burger king should change their playground to protect themselves from people like this. And maybe, just maybe parents should be responsible for their own kids!

I agree with the other comments, the father should not have allowed his kid to play inappropriately on the playstructure in the first place. I have a 2 year old and certainly wouldn't let him climb a few inches over a hard tile floor, and certainly not a few feet! But maybe I am in the minority, I follow common sense and watch my kid to hopefully prevent him from getting injuried at all. I've met some wacked-out parents on playgrounds, though, including a lady who practically cussed out a little 4 year old girl, for barely brushing her 1 year old son's shoulder as she was running by him, her son wasn't hurt and didn't cry. She told me "I hate when I have to police other peoples' kids". Um yeah, if you don't want your kid to be around running, active kids, then don't go to playgrounds at all!

A few years ago when my daughter was about 4, we took her and her sister to one of those McDonalds playgrounds. She climbed to the tippy top and suddenly was too afraid to come back down. She didn't get hurt, but there was little we could do to help her. Eventually her sister yanked her back down.

After that we just decided on our own that we wouldn't take the kids to one of those places when we wanted to go do something fun. You just gotta use your best judgement. I trust people like lifeguards, for example, if a situation turns dangerous; I have no reason to believe McDonalds employees would, could or should swoop in to save my kids from a situation thats my job to prevent.

These parents have shown they are the most ignorant, undeveloped form of life and a good example of what's wrong with this country. Now that they have proceeded to bilk $20M out of Burger King, they should be made sterile so they can't produce any more undisciplined, unsupervised children into this world. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Blame, blame, blame! I'm too busy ordering a double cheese burger to pay attention to my child so  it's your  fault because were at Burger King and your rich, I will sue you! Prime example why sex ed should be tought in school. Had this guy used a rubber he wouldn't have the burden of a child to take care of and he could have enjoyed that Whopper. Now he can enoy that Whopper on vacation in Barbados with the wife, kids and BABYSITTER>

Well, I think it has all been said. Most everyone agrees that the parent should be investigated and probably charged with neglect instead of rewarded for being ignorant.

Oh, and Donna J. Thompson, Ph.D., Executive Director for the National Program for Playground Safety, you need to get some common sense. It is always the parents responsibility for the safety of their children, whether or not signs are posted.

The only way to prevent kids from putting themselves in jeopardy is to keep them locked in padded, well padded, rooms made of multi-layed rip stop nylon and vinyl coverings, hypo allergenic padding materials, no objects of any kind in the room, kept totally restrained so they can't bite themselves.

It does not make sense that they can sue because the dad did not do his duty as a dad and keep his son safe who do you sue when you are out in the woods and your child climbs a tree and fall? GOD?
Why do we keep giving money to people for being naive come on you don't let your kids go wild do you the dad is the one that took his son there if he wanted them to be responsible for his kids he should have told them when he got there and you know that there was a sign saying that the parents are responsible for their children why do we need such signs?

Damn, no stupid viewpoints to argue with! LOL

The article never states that the father wasn't watching, and as anyone with kids no, sometimes you can't be quick enough to get there in time.  You can turn your head for a second, turn back and little Johnny is running with scissors.

The issue here is that Burger King failed to explain the dangers of this playground.  After all, how are we supposed to know what happens when a kids head slams on tile?  I personally don't go around smacking kids heads off stuff to ensure it's safe!  And who leaves anything exposed for kids to climb on?  I refuse to live in a house with stairs and blatantly will not take children into them either!  What would happen if they fell down them?  And I also cut the legs off all furniture and use padding on my floors so that, if the kids should fall, they will be cushioned and safe.  I won't even go into the absence of household cleaners, knives, forks, and cutting utensils in my home!  Nope, I understand that if someone's kid does something stupid or out of ignorance of consequences I'm liable!  That's why I tell my kids they can't have sleepovers until they're 18 and their friends have to sign legal waivers.  Yup... my world is fun AND safe.

*rolls eyes*

Oh... and I seriously do not think it was "neglect". But I think the parents are so devasted that they are transferring their anguish and confusion onto an innocent business. Psychologically Freud and many others talked about this very thing in times of stress and suffering. Our minds can't accept what happened so we take all our anguish and impose it onto someone/thing to ease our suffering. Just sad that they even got the right to file suit forcing BK to make a deal to stop this craziness.