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This summer „Seesam Latvia” offers insurance of children at 50 % discount

On the threshold of the 10th Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival, JSIC „Seesam Latvia” offers accident insurance for children, schoolchildren and students at a 50 % discount. The offer applies to children and youth from their birth and up to the age of 22.

Mr. Ernests Štekels, Head of the Traumatology Department of the Children’s ClinicalUniversityHospital, speaking about his own experience pointed out: „Children are active but the world discovery process is not a path strewn with roses. And everybody knows that roses have also thorns...”

At the end of the school year children are already looking forward to summer entertainment. But for parents it is also an additional responsibility because they understand quite well that the summer holiday complacency is quite illusory. Statistics show that during the summer the number of children's injuries is growing. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss right now with children the various possible situations which can happen with them, as well as recommend what to do if something happens, and continually remind to children how important it is to care for their own security.

However, even being cautious, children’s accidents and injuries cannot be completely avoided. In summer, kids spend much more time in the fresh air, riding bikes, skateboards and rollerblades, swimming, playing ball... It’s very good that children have a lot of activities. But running around, fooling about and playing pranks, children often forget that their actions can be dangerous to themselves or their playmates. If the ball rolls out on the street, the child, without hesitating a long time, can run on the driveway and  be run over by a passing car...

No matter how carefully the child is looked after, we cannot be with him/her all the time. And not only rumps but also wise and prudent children are injured in the result of accidents. Most injuries children get at home - 54%. 15.4% of injuries take place outdoors, 8.2% - at school, but 7% of injuries – in the transport area.

Data of the Children’s ClinicalUniversityHospital show that almost 1000 children are injured every year in the result of traffic accidents in Latvia, from whom about 30 children die. Every year more than 10 children fall from windows in multi-storey houses, about 10 children die in the result of fire, 30 to 40 children are drowning, more than 30 children get chemical burns of internal organs because they have drunk various irritating substances, and up to 500 children are bitten by animals.

...In the beginning of May, an ambulance rushed to rescue a nine-year-old girl in Nereta, who was bitten by the neighbours’ dog. The girl with a deep laceration on the left leg had to be brought to the hospital.

....A three-year-old boy from Līvāni was urgently brought to the Children’s ClinicalUniversityHospital. During a family picnic the boy had drunk from a bottle containing grill ignition liquid.

Recently there were reported about severe injuries - ankle fractures – suffered by several children whose parents rode the bike having the children sitting on the bicycle baggage carrier. The children suffered leg injuries caused by wheel spokes. This kind of injury was got by a four-year-old boy from Eleja parish, a six-year-old boy from Daugavpils, a two-year-old girl from Zemgale ... Parents should note that when a child is transported by bicycle, he/she may be seated only in a child seat specially designated for this purpose, not forgetting to fasten the child seat safety belt. When purchasing a child seat, attention must also be paid whether the child seat is also equipped with a special safety harness for legs. The harness is necessary to fix the child's legs during the journey and prevent contact with the wheel spokes.

During the warm days of May, the State Fire Fighting and Rescue Service provided assistance to children involved in accidents that happened when they were swimming or playing near the water. However, some times such games end with a tragedy. In the first days of May, doctors did not managed to save a three-years-old boy’s life   – the boy had fallen into a decorative pond located at his family house and drowned.

Various recreational and sports summer camps will open after a couple of days. Many children from cities will go to the country to their grandparents or relatives. Children will prepare themselves for the Song and Dance Festival. There will be so much to do! We will embolden ourselves that everything will succeed and will certainly be OK, but sometimes there happens also something that we absolutely do not want to - we can not predict and prevent every misfortune. It is therefore important to think about situations which can cause serious negative emotions and also financial losses. Emotions experienced by parents in such situations can not be compensated but those who have insured their children’s health and life, get compensation from insurers for a number of expenses related to accident consequences.

About AAS “Seesam Latvia”

„OP – Pohjola Group”, which is the shareholder and owner of AAS „ Seesam Latvia”, is one of the largest and leading financial and insurance groups in Finland. Pohjola Insurance Ltd, a non-life insurance company which is owned by „OP – Pohjola Group”, was founded in 1891, and it is both the oldest and by its 27% market share also the largest insurance company in Finland.

The long-term safety rating conferred to Pohjola Insurance Ltd by the international rating agency Standard & Poor’s is A+ (strong).

Additional information:

Dace Gertnere

Head of PR and Marketing Department

JSIC "Seesam Latvia"

PR and Marketing Department

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

Phone. No. +371 67 06 10 29

Fax No. +371 67 06 10 22

dace.gertnere(a)seesam.lv, http://www.seesam.lv