Swing_Dark skyIn Farr West, Weber County on Saturday night, a 3-year-old little girl died. After getting her neck tangled in the rope of a swing, she died in Primary Children’s Medical Center from the injuries.

It was reported that her father had let her play outside for only five minutes Thursday night. Then he found her tangled in the ropes. CPR was performed, and the rescue crew team found a pulse. A Life Flight helicopter landed in the middle of the street, in order to rush to get the toddler to the hospital.

A neighbor commented on how fast the whole thing happened. Watching the medical crew carry out a little body was a shock, because seemingly moments before, they were playing harmlessly.

Playgrounds are designed for children, but they can still be extremely dangerous. Without proper supervision, a child could seriously injure his or herself. Jann Fawcett, a coordinator for Safe Kids Utah said, “Unintentional accidental injuries are one of the leading causes of death for children 14 years and under.” She says the best thing we can do to protect our children from accidental harm is to closely supervise them: even on playgrounds; especially on playgrounds.

Our deepest condolences go out to this family for their great loss. No words can express a tragedy like this when a loved one is taken too soon–in this case, far too soon.

Image courtesy of flickr.com (image is not of swing in news story)