Schoolkids’ compo for accidents involving basketball hoop, bookcase and bullies

Councils final 12 months paid out £1.8million compensation to youngsters injured in weird accidents – together with one who didn’t cease in time after crossing the sports activities day end line and crashed right into a fence.

Another incident noticed a toddler injured by a basketball hoop that wasn’t secured whereas others have been harm in playground accidents the place they have been struck with footballs or fell off climbing frames.

Other accidents noticed youngsters paid compensation after hurting themselves in playground falls, accidents throughout PE classes and even one who broke their leg when a bookcase got here crashing down on them.

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Payments have been additionally paid to college students who efficiently sued their native council after they have been bodily attacked, bullied or sexually abused whereas at college.

All the incidents have been revealed in a Freedom of Information Act survey of native councils which discovered final 12 months a complete of £1.8million was paid out to settle 89 pupil compensation claims.

Experts imagine the precise value to councils might be nearer to £4million as soon as an allowance has been made for the authorized prices related to the circumstances.

Hertfordshire Council paid £30,000 to settle a case the place a pupil who was injured after they ran by means of the end line at sports activities day and crashed right into a fence.

The similar authority had a case that value £20,000 to settle the place a pupil was injured by a metallic gate that one other pupil was swinging on.

In Lambeth, London, the council paid £2,840 after a basketball hoop got here unfastened and hit a toddler beneath and £11,678 when a toddler fell off a chair that had a dodgy leg.

Kent Council had a £10,000 case the place a toddler was hit by a soccer within the playground and a £15,000 compensation declare the place a pupil’s fingers have been injured in a door.

In Lancashire the council settled 5 compensation circumstances from pupils final 12 months together with £36,730 to a pupil harm throughout a PE lesson and £7,789 to a pupil who fell off a motorbike.

Northumberland Council paid £10,000 to settle a case the place a pupil was injured in a trampolining accident whereas in Barnsley £30,000 was paid to a pupil harm whereas serving to to place away a trampoline.

In Wakefield a pupil broke their leg once they fell from a bookcase that wasn’t secured and the council ended up paying £25,000 to shut the case.

Lewisham Council, in London, paid out £19,991 to settle a case the place a pupil harm themselves tripping over a tree stump whereas Warwickshire paid £3,350 in a case the place a pupil was harm falling out of a tree.

Birmingham Council paid £4,350 to a toddler who suffered accidents to their enamel after tripping on a classroom carpet.

It additionally spent £30,100 on a case the place a toddler broke their arm once they fell off a climbing body, £7,593 to a pupil who reduce their knee badly in a PE lesson and £3,293 to a pupil who broke their wrist after they fell over a tree root throughout playtime.

Christopher McGovern, Chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, stated: “The compensation culture is out of control in our schools. It has become quite a racket.

“Ambulance-chasing lawyers are running a money-making rip-off of public funds that should be spent on supporting education. They advertise on the internet to encourage parents to makes claims.

“Some claims are legitimate but most are not because they just reflect the hustle and bustle of daily life in school.”

Jonathan Scarsbrook, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), stated: “Schools and the councils that run them have a duty of care and must be held to account when they fail to protect children from injury and sexual abuse.”