Finger Entrapment Accidents of 2019

Young children are the most at risk of finger trapping accidents, which can often lead to amputation and long-term pain. These injuries can also result in expensive medical bills for the family and legal action against the schools or child care centres because of unprotected doors and carelessness of their workers and teachers.

Finger entrapment injuries could have been easily prevented with the use of door finger guards. But, it is up to the facility owners, managers, or directors to ensure that these safety devices are installed in all doors in the first place. Prevention is always better than cure - which is why here are some finger accidents of 2019 highlighted to bring more awareness to door safety in 2020.

January 2019 – 2-Year-Old boy Lost his Fingertip at Westchester Child Care Centre

A 2-year-old boy lost his fingertip by a closing door at his daycare when the teacher was handling another child. Westchester Child Care Centre didn’t inform his parents for the severity of the incident- resulting in him losing his fingertip. Following the case, the child care facility’s license was suspended.

February 2019 – School district sued after a 6-year old boy’s pinkie finger cut by closing door.

The family of a 6-year old boy student sued his school district after a substitute teacher cut his pinkie finger by closing it in a door. At Scribner Elementary School, the boy was standing in line in the classroom when the teacher closed the door with his little finger, and his pinkie finger was trapped in the door frame near the hinges – resulting in about half the finger being cut off. This nasty incident happened because of the teacher’s unawareness and unprotected doors, so the teacher and school was found liable for this entire mishap.

February 2019 – School District Paid almost 50,000 GBP to 11-Year-Old Student who Severed Finger in Door

An 11-year-old boy was offered a settlement from the Beaverton School District following a finger entrapment injury at Whitford Middle School. The sixth-grade student’s fingertip was cut off by the school’s gym double door during recess. That accident not only gave a traumatic experience to the boy student but also left his family with medical expenses of well over 5500 GBP. Then Beaverton School District offered to pay about 50,000 GBP to settle the following case.

Many child care centres, schools, or media outlets describe finger trapping accidents as ‘freak accidents.’ However, it has been shown that 600,000 injuries resulting from fingers getting trapped between the door hinges and frames occurred between 1999 and 2008 – leading to amputation and lifelong damage in rare cases. So, it’s better to purchase a high-quality door hinge guard and install it to your facility’s doors to avoid these nasty injuries.

Many organisation owners claim that their doorways are monitored at all times; therefore, the possibility of a finger entrapment incident is not possible. But, the fact is that this method of safeguarding is hardly practical. So, if you want to prevent children in your care from trapping their fingers in your doors and even yourself from legal actions, there is nothing better solutions than installing door finger protectors.