Prepare for Sports
Most summertime injuries are sports-related. The most common sports injuries are sprains, fractures, concussions, broken bones, and dislocations.¹ While these types of injuries aren’t always preventable, many can be avoided by adequate warmups, wearing the proper protective gear, and proper training.

Choose Playgrounds Wisely
For many kids, summer vacation means more time at the local park or backyard playground. Falls from monkey bars, slides, and swings commonly cause
fractures and head injuries. While playground falls are inevitable, choosing a playground built over a soft surface like rubber or wood chips can minimize the risk of severe injury.

Beware of Trampolines
Almost 100,000 children visited the ER in 2021 as a result of trampoline injuries. Trampolines were a top-three cause and the single biggest cause of injuries for children 10 and younger.²  Most trampoline-related injuries are the result of falls or collisions. If you do let your children use a trampoline, be sure there is adult supervision and never allow more than one person to jump at a time.

Wear Helmets on Bikes, Skateboards and Scooters
Bike accidents are the most common cause of adult summertime injuries, accounting for more than 237,000 ER visits in 2021.⁴ A fall from a bike can be dangerous, but you can prevent a severe head injury by wearing a properly-fitted helmet. According
to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, the use of a helmet can reduce the risk of head and brain injury by up to 88% for both adults and children.⁵ Other padding such as knee and elbow pads can also help reduce your injury from a bike, skateboard, or scooter fall.

Swim Safe
The best way to prepare your kids for the pool or beach is to enroll them in formal lessons when they’re old enough to learn to swim. Parents should always stay within arms-reach of young children. Older children who are experienced swimmers should still be monitored while in the water. Adults should take steps to swim safely too. Don’t overestimate your swimming abilities, avoid swimming alone, and watch for lifeguard warnings of strong currents or riptides.

Mind Your Grill
Firing up the grill is a popular summer activity, making July the peak month for grill fires. A grill placed too close to anything that can burn becomes a fire hazard. Roughly half of injuries involving grills are thermal burns.⁶ Be sure to keep children and pets at least three feet away from the grill area and never leave your grill unattended. Keep your grill clean throughout the summer by removing grease build-up from the grill and from trays below it.

Mow With Caution
Each year, while mowing the grass, cutting a branch, or power washing a deck, an estimated 143,000 Americans are injured badly enough to require a trip to the emergency room.⁷ Always wear pants, long sleeve shirts, and closed-toe shoes while working in your yard. Keep young children and pets inside while mowing and wear thick work gloves when checking or changing your mower’s blades to avoid getting cut.

Despite best intentions, accidents can happen, and they’re more likely to occur during the summer months. In addition to the precautions above, consider Accident Insurance can provide an extra layer of protection for your entire family should any of you suffer an accidental injury. Family coverage is less than $25 per month and provides cash benefits to help with expenses that may not be covered by your health insurance. Enroll today.

¹ Health Topics: Sports Injuries, National Institutes of Health
^2,3,4,5 Rob Gabriele, ^“2022 Summer Safety Guide,” SafeHome.org, https://www.safehome.org/data/summer-home-safety-report, January 6, 2023.
⁶ Public Education: Grilling, National Fire Protection Association, https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Seasonal-fire-causes/Grilling, accessed April 13, 2023.
⁷ Mary H.J. Farrell, “Yard Work Safety Tips to Keep You out of the ER, Consumer Reports, https://www.consumerreports.org/outdoor-safety/yard-work-safety-tips/, August 2019.

IMPORTANT: This is a fixed indemnity policy,

NOT health insurance

This fixed indemnity policy may pay you a limited dollar amount if you’re sick or

hospitalized. You’re still responsible for paying the cost of your care.

• The payment you get isn’t based on the size of your medical bill.

• There might be a limit on how much this policy will pay each year.

• This policy isn’t a substitute for comprehensive health insurance.

• Since this policy isn’t health insurance, it doesn’t have to include most Federal consumer protections that apply to health insurance.

Looking for comprehensive health insurance?

• Visit HealthCare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325) to find health coverage options.

• To find out if you can get health insurance through your job, or a family member’s job, contact the employer.

Questions about this policy?

• For questions or complaints about this policy, contact your State Department of Insurance. Find their number on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ website (org) under “Insurance Departments.”

• If you have this policy through your job, or a family member’s job, contact the employer.

Group Accident Insurance coverage is a limited benefit policy issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, a Prudential Financial company, Newark, NJ. Prudential’s Accident Insurance is not a substitute for medical coverage that provides benefits for medical treatment, including hospital, surgical, and medical expenses, and it does not provide reimbursement for such expenses. The Booklet-Certificate contains all details, including any policy exclusions, limitations, and restrictions, which may apply. If there is a discrepancy between this document and the Booklet-Certificate/Group Contract issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, the Group Contract will govern. Please contact Prudential for more information. Contract provisions may vary by state. Contract Series: 83500.

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