Last October, both the BBC and the Times in the UK reported on the life-long effects of finger-trapping accidents after the British Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (BAPRAS) urged for the use of door stoppers and hinge protectors to be used to reduce fingertip injuries.

Research in the US shows that more than 600,000 injuries resulting from getting fingers caught in doors occurred between 1999 and 2008 – leading to more than 67,000 amputations. An additional 580,000 injuries were caused by impact with a door or hinge. 41% of all these injuries are to children aged four and under.

A plastic surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital, London and spokesperson for BAPRAS, Anna De Leo said:

“Fingertip injury alone can result in 20% loss of hand strength and can prevent people from pursuing their chosen career in the future”.

“Injuries to fingers and hands mean tying your shoelaces, typing, holding a mobile phone or eating become a lot more challenging – and this is nothing compared to the impact of finger amputation”.

Fingertip injuries are the most common hand injury seen by reconstructive surgeons and 1 in 6 results in amputation.

Many people seem to underestimate the severity of finger-trapping injuries Anna De Leo points out:

“People joke that it is just a finger injury – but the reality for people who sustain these injuries is significant – as more likely than not, they will live with an impairment for the rest of their lives.”.

BAPRAS surgeons highlighted the top 3 risk factors for finger-trapping accidents are:

• Self-shutting fire safety doors.
• Car doors.
• Hinges.

In 2014, a child severed her finger after trapping it in a door in Suffolk, Virginia.

The five-year-old girl was acting as classroom door holder when her hand caught in the steel door – amputating part of her finger. Fortunately, ER doctors were able to re-attach the fingertip.

Two other separate cases of finger-trapping accidents where the fingers were actually re-attached had settlement tags of $725,000 and $600,000.

As urged by plastic and reconstructive surgeons, door finger-trapping accidents can be easily prevented with the quick installation of door finger pinch guards.

The Fingershield Door Finger Pinch Guard is designed to be installed on the hinge side of the door to completely eliminate the chance of a hinge-trapping accident.

With over a million Fingershields installed in schools, child care centers, YMCAs, military bases, gymnasiums, nursing homes, restaurants, leisure centres and more across the US, the UK and Europe – you can trust that Fingershield will provide the best protection against finger-trapping accidents.

Tested to 1.8 million openings, we pride ourselves on the quality and durability of our products – as well as the level of customer service we provide from start to finish.

Each Fingershield is easy to install and comes with a 10 year warranty, offering peace of mind with every purchase.

To find out more about Fingershield and door safety for your building, please do not hesitate to contact us on (904) 962-2688.