“Children need to encounter risks and overcome fears on the playground,”
...exactly. Monkee bars are character builders. I don’t remember one time where a kid was seriously injured at a playground. If a kid feels he can do it, he’ll do it. If not, he’ll pass. Of course there’s always peer pressure but that further builds character.
I do remember a serious injury at a playground. It was when I was in 2nd grade, back in 1966. One of my classmates had the wooden seat break in the swings at school, he fell out backwards and broke both arms.
Of course, in 1966 his parents did NOT sue the school.
Swingset seats were changed to the strap kind within a month, however.