A rise in claims from playground injuries has cost New York City taxpayers more than $20 million, according to city Comptroller Scott Stringer.
Playground-related claims rose 53% over the past 10 years, said Stringer, citing data from his office’s ClaimStat metric.
Stringer’s analysis found that from fiscal 2005 to 2014, 577 playground-related personal injury claims were filed against the city, an average of more than one a week. In addition to the human cost associated with these claims, said Stringer, taxpayers pay millions of dollars a year in settlements and judgments for playground-related personal injury claims—$20.6 million over the 10-year period he studied.
Brooklyn had by far the most claims filed during this time period—209—dwarfing Manhattan (123), the Bronx (111), Queens (111), and Staten Island (23).
Stringer urged the Department of Parks and Recreation to step up efforts to bring surfaces and equipment into a state of good repair.
