Child accident

Child accident overview

Every year over 2 million children are taken to a hospital after having an accident. This equates to over 5,000 child accidents per day. Around half of these accidents happen at home. The figure of 2 million child accidents relates to known accidents treated by hospitals. There are therefore even more child accidents that are treated at home or by GP surgeries.
Child accidents are the biggest single cause of death for children over the age of one. More children die each year as the result of child accidents than from illnesses such as leukaemia or meningitis.

Types of child accident

The largest number of non-fatal injuries happens when children fall. Most falls are either slips or trips on level surfaces. Babies and young children are more susceptible to child accidents involving falls from surfaces at two different levels, such as stairs.
Scalds are also common child accidents with hot drinks the main culprit causing this type of injury.
Road accidents account for the largest number of serious child accidents. In 2008 over 2,500 children were admitted to hospital after sustaining a serious injury, such as child brain injury, in a road traffic accident.

Child accident next steps

If you wish to see if you have an accident claim as a result of a child accident, please contact us. Please also use the information on the pages below to find out more.