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Accidents with children most frequently result in finger and toe fractures

Summarizing the previous year's statistics on accidents which involved children, and in the result of which the Joint Stock Insurance Company "Seesam Latvia” has paid insurance indemnity, in 230 cases of 240 children had got bone fractures and injuries. Eight indemnities have been paid out for burns got in the result of an accident, but in two cases - for occurrence of a third-party risk.

 – JSIC „Seesam Latvia” has been engaged in insurance of children, schoolchildren and students against accidents for more than 10 years. In May of 2010 „Seesam Latvia” called on parents to draw particular attention to safety of children just in the long summer holidays, and offered the opportunity to purchase accident insurance for children at half price - tells Ms Rudīte Jakovicka, head of the accident and travel insurance products group of the JSIC “Seesam Latvia".

 – Originally it was planned as a short-term campaign, but taking into account the growing interest of parents in children's insurance,  the policy sales price was not increased until the turn of the year. We observed that parents frequently bought children insurance policies together with other policies, such as MTPL and KASKO policies. Many parents stressed that they wanted to insure their children already before but put off buying a policy saving the family budget.

The low price of the policy influenced significantly the number of contracts concluded – if in the previous years approximately 1500 children were insured by “Seesam Latvia” per year, during the period of time from May 10, 2010 till December 31, 2010, there were concluded 5993 children’s accident insurance contracts.

To re-open the way for parents to buy children's accident insurance policies at a cheaper price, "Seesam Latvia” now resumed the sale of policies at a 50% discount. The offer applies to children from birth to 22 years of age, and it will be valid until December 31, 2011.

Customer service experts of “Seesam Latvia” indicate that parents have been equally interested both in insurance of infants and preschool-age children, and in insurance of adolescents. Slightly fewer parents purchased an insurance policy for children over the age of 18, apparently believing that children of this age are already adults, and that this offer of the insurers did not apply to them.

It is important to note that the policies that are purchased at a 50% discount, contain full risk coverage, including third-party liability insurance.

– I will mention one of the cases, which demonstrates the vital role of inclusion of the third party liability risk into the child's accident insurance contract. A three-year-old girl got into an unlocked car and released the parking brake. The car began to move and crashed into a fence. Fortunately, the child got off with nothing more than a fright, but the car door and fender were damaged. Since also third-party liability was included in the the little girl’s insurance contract, "Seesam Latvia" compensated the cost of repair of the damaged car in amount of almost 380 LVL, - says Mr. Aigars Umbraško, an expert of the Claims Department of  “Seesam Latvia”.

– Common injuries sustained by children in the result of accidents are various bone fractures and other injuries. Most common injuries – in about 20% of the cases – have been finger or toe bone fractures (in 43 events of 240 insured events of “Seesam Latvia” in 2010). Serious wounds occur almost as frequently as bone fractures (in 41 events). About 9% of the accidents resulted in cerebral concussion (in 21 cases). In 20 cases doctors found ligament strain, but in 18 cases - radius fractures,- tells Mr. A. Umbraško about the “most popular” consequences of accidents involving children.

For 240 claims under the children’s insurance in 2010 the total amount of indemnities paid by the JSIC “Seesam Latvia” was more than 12 700 LVL.

One of the largest indemnities - more than 800 lats (this amount includes compensation of costs for treatment in the hospital) - was paid after a traffic accident when a car on the street hit a seven -year-old boy who had got a frontal bone fracture, brain contusion, facial bruises and abrasions.

Another seven-year-old boy sustained serious injuries when he, riding a bike in a skate park, fell awkwardly over the bicycle handlebars and broke the frontal bone, got brain contusion, and got facial bruises and abrasions. After this incident the boy received almost 570 LVL in compensation.

Serious injuries are sustained also by young people. A 22-year-old boy, along with peers engaging in reckless stunts, received a severe head injury. Doctors discovered a skull base fracture and a haemorrhage under the brain tunic. Indemnity paid out by the "Seesam Latvia” amounted to more than 630 LVL.

An 11 years old boy got serious burns being exposed to open fire. Doctors found that he had got deep dermal (grade II B) burns of his back, face, chest and upper extremities. Compensation that was paid to him amounted to more than 400 LVL; most of this sum was used to cover the hospital costs.

If a child sustains injuries in the result of an accident, an insurance policy, of course, is unable to reduce his/her physical pain and feelings of parents, but it guarantees compensation of the costs incurred in the result of the accident. During the campaign the price of the cheapest children's accident insurance policy for one year is 3 LVL.

Additional information:

Vienības gatve 87H, Riga, LV-1004, Latvia

Tel. No. +371 67 06 10 29

Fax No. +371 67 06 10 22

dace.gertnere(a)seesam.lv

http://www.seesam.lv