Coping With Legal Issues

When Children Are Harmed Through Enticement

13 May 2022 by Lillian Wheeler

While the word enticement has a positive connotation for many, legally it has another meaning. Certain classes of protected people can fall victim to an enticement and end up being physically harmed. One of the main sectors of the population that needs to be protected is children. Children are prone to be hurt through enticements so read on and find out more.

Common Enticements to Know About

The first enticement that might come to mind is backyard swimming pools. It's easy to see why children may be enticed to enter a pool on a warm day. However, like all such enticements, they can be extremely dangerous and that is why most municipalities have rules about fences and pool enclosures. Other common enticements children may come across include:

• Open pits, wells, tunnels, and caves.
• Almost any body of water from a pond to a fountain.
• Things in a home like sharp objects, tools, lawn equipment (riding lawnmowers are very enticing), unlocked medication, and dangerous chemicals.

And more. Anything that could hurt a child if they access it can be an enticement.

The Homeowner's Responsibility

Parents are responsible for making sure that children stay safe at all times. However, others owe children an equal level of responsibility for keeping them safe. Even if a resident doesn't have young ones around, they must still take action to lock things up and prevent access to dangerous enticements. If they don't, a tragedy could occur.

What Parents Need to Do

Parents cannot be everywhere at all times, but many blame themselves when a child is hurt or worse. Here is what you can do to take action after an injury or death due to a neighborhood enticement accident:

1. Seek medical attention for your child immediately.
2. Speak to the homeowner about the incident and find out what happened.
3. In many cases, law enforcement will respond to an accident if the ambulance is called or is alerted by the emergency room. Obtain a copy of the report prepared about the accident.
4. If possible, speak to your child about the accident to find out more.
5. Determine what safety measures were in place, if any.
6. If others witnessed the accident, record their contact information.
7. If possible, photograph and/or video the accident scene.
8. Finally, speak to a personal injury attorney. You are entitled to take action on behalf of your child and be paid for the child's medical expenses and more. Taking action against the homeowner could prevent another child from being hurt as your child was, so contact a personal injury lawyer right away. A person like Todd East Attorney at Law has more information.