September this year again has been as a thriller for surgeons of the Children Clinic University Hospital (CCUH), as particularly many children end up in hospital due to various injuries in this period each year. (The second peak of traumas is in May) Weather also contributes to the traumatism this year, as autumn has been quite warm, children spend much time in playgrounds, ride bikes, skateboard, roller skates. Unfortunately, they sometimes get carried away, forgetting about safety or just not thinking about it, and ending up with injuries.

Injuries occur most often when going without safety equipment by bicycle, roller skates, skateboard.  As a result, children with broken arms, legs, head injuries, etc. end up in hospital. A children surgeon says – the severest injuries happen when going by bike on ramp, trampoline also is quite dangerous, as children jump also when it is wet outside, and the surface is slippery. Therefore, medics remind that safety should not be forgotten, and this is mostly to be taken care by parents. There have been situations, when a child has been taken to hospital with a head injury. Its mom is next to the kid, and, when asked, why the kid has not been wearing a helmet while riding bike, she just stretches her hands: "Well, he does not listen to me, does he?"

Parents should bear in mind – if they buy, say, a bicycle or a skateboard for their child, they also should get some protective equipment, as sometimes, when a kid gets hurt, it turns out that there has be no protective equipment at all, it has just not been bought.

 And, reminding – again and again, of the safety on road, but, when returning back to school at autumn, there are things that have been forgotten.

The director of BTA Baltic Insurance Company (BTA) Baltic Risks Underwriting Department Ivo Danče points to a positive tendency – although children in Latvia are provided medical care free of charge, parents increasingly often insure their kids against personal injuries. Parents seem to be aware that children are independent, active, and in an unexpected situation they might get compensation to cover, for instance, medical treatment costs.

BTA insures children aged one to seventeen

Now there are two types of situations, when parents insure their children. Going to a summer camp means a compulsory personal accident insurance, the Latvian Ice-Hockey Federation as well has made it a requirement – children having hockey training must have personal accident insurance. The second increasing trend – parents as private individuals insure their grown-up family members, and include in their policies children insurance, it means an average of 30-40% of the total amount of policies. The amount to insure family members included in the policy ranges from 1000 to a couple of thousands euro, depending on the household’s affordability. In case of injury, disability or death, relatives can receive this money as compensation.

According to BTA’s data, children in Latvia most often sustain injuries of hands, legs and head. According to CCUH data, injuries occurring most often to children are those of hands, accounting for 34% of all injuries, then – leg injuries (25%), head injuries (17%) and lacerations or punctures (6%).

Most often injuries occur to children of 10 to 13 years of age, accounting for 30% of the total number of injuries. Injuries also quite often occur to children aged 14 to 17 (25%), while in the age group from 0 to 4 years of age and from 5 to 9, this ratio is 23% of the total amount of children injuries.

In the first five months of 2017, 8865 children have sustained various injuries, and it is by 0.5% less than in the first five months of 2016, as then the total number of children injuries was 8912. Last year, 20,654 children sustained injuries during the period of entire year.

In the first eight months of 2017, 35% of all BTA customers have insured against children personal accident risk. Meanwhile, travel insurance for their offsprings have obtained 21% of BTA customers.

About BTA

BTA Baltic Insurance Company is a major insurance company in the Baltic States, offering the broadest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The largest shareholder of BTA is Vienna Insurance Group AG, one of the leading insurers in Europe with 190 years of experience in the insurance field. More than 50 companies in 25 countries constitute the group, which employs 24,000 employees. Vienna Insurance Group AG is a clear leader in its core markets in Europe maintaining high rating of financial stability – Standard & Poor’s A+ (stable outlook), with a listing on the Vienna and the Prague Stock Exchange.

Additional information:
Elīna Rasmane
Marketing and Public Relations Department Director
BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS
e-mail elina.rasmane@bta.lv